by Liz Johnson
Luke shot her a dubious look. “And what? Get squished when I fall on you?”
“Give me more credit than that. I wouldn’t let you walk if you weren’t ready. But we’ll still take precautions.”
His forehead wrinkled when she held up a blue gait belt and leaned forward to wrap it around his waist. But he didn’t say anything as she cinched it into place, giving herself something firm to hold on to should he take a tumble.
When he was set to go, she set his crutches aside and stepped up behind him. Almost pressed against his back, she slipped her hand between his shirt and the belt. The top of her head reached just past his shoulders, and she gasped. He was taller than she’d thought. Bigger. Broader.
Without the crutches, he was like a tower, his muscles defined beneath the lightweight knit of his T-shirt. The shirt was damp with his sweat from the strain of the simple stretches. Still he fought on. He didn’t know how to quit. He knew how to push through the pain, his shoulders square and chin up. Even the stubble along his jaw didn’t look so fair from her angle over his shoulder.
Yes. The kid was definitely gone.
And the zing of physical awareness running through her at this knowledge was entirely unwelcome. But not at all unpleasant.
With a tap on the outside of his left thigh, she said, “Pick it up. Little step.”
He did as she said, every muscle in his back tightening as he set his foot down.
“Now the other. Little step.”
The knuckles on his hands turned white around the silver bars, and his arms trembled almost imperceptibly.
She kept one hand at the belt and placed the other on his arm. “You’re ready. Trust your knee.”
“I’m not sure I know how.” His voice was low and steady but filled with uncertainty.
“I won’t let you fall.”
“I’m not worried about falling.”
Of course. The bunching triceps peeking out from below his sleeves could hold him up against the force of a hurricane. He was worried about relying on the leg that had let him down.
“If you can’t trust your knee, then trust me.”
Without a pause he picked up his uninjured leg and slid it forward. His breath hissed through clenched teeth, but he didn’t wait to be told to take another step. With each shuffle, his muscles relaxed a fraction, yet the back of his neck glistened under the effort it took to keep moving forward.
She loosened her hold on his arm, and he paused, glancing over his shoulder just long enough to make eye contact.
Did he feel it, too? That strange energy that seemed to pass between them? Her attraction rolling off her in waves?
“How did you know I was ready?”
She shrugged. “It’s my job.”
“Thank you.”
She gave him a saucy wink. “Funny. You only say that at the end of a session. I’m pretty sure you hate me five minutes into every one.”
Looking straight ahead, he finished the route and then did a quick turn in her arms. Her hand still gripping the gait belt stayed put, and he was suddenly in her arms. When he looked at her, his eyes were alive and his face glowed.
She’d done that. She’d given him this moment of triumph. Being a part of this healing process had always been God’s plan for her. She’d known it from childhood. But she’d let Gary and Camilla make her doubt her calling.
No longer.
She had a purpose here, and she was going to help Luke find his, too. Even if it wasn’t on the teams.
“Are we going back?” He looked past her shoulder, his eyes locking on the far end of the room.
“Not today.”
A frown tugged at the corners of his lips. “I can handle it.”
“Without a doubt.” She patted his side once before snatching his crutches. “But it’s the first time you’ve used that knee since your surgery. And you’ve got to take it easy.”
“Right. Easy.” The word sounded as if it tasted of brussels sprouts and vinegar, but he nodded his consent. “Can I walk around my house? No stairs.”
She picked up his chart and scribbled a few updates. “No.”
“But I just made it across the whole room.”
“On bars.” She kicked the metal, and it rang out. “You were leaning on these pretty heavily.” He opened his mouth to interrupt, but she held up a hand. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s why they’re there. But you don’t have bars at home. And if you were to trip or fall, you’d risk another injury. A permanent one.”
He glared at the ceiling, as if begging for patience. “Then by Friday?”
She looked at his chart to confirm the date of his next appointment—Wednesday—and the one after that. “We have to reschedule. I won’t be here on Friday.”
His eyebrows were almost so fair that they disappeared under the weight of his frown.
“I’m working the ring-toss booth at the Pacific Coast House fund-raiser.”
His frown eased a fraction. “Right.”
“Are you going?”
“No.”
His sudden, definitive response struck a surprising blow, and she wrapped her arms around her middle at the sudden shiver.
Gary had threatened to be there. Camilla, too, maybe.
Of course, Mandy wouldn’t be alone. Ashley and her husband, Matt, would be there. Staci, Tristan—another SEAL—and their daughters would be working the dunking booth. Honestly, the place would be swarming with SEALs and their spouses, not to mention all of the other PCH volunteers.
But knowing Luke wasn’t going to be there—well, it left her feeling like a ship without a port.
In the middle of a storm named Gary.
“Oh.” She managed just the one syllable in a whisper before her throat closed up and her imagination carried her away.
“The guys will harass me to no end if I show up on these crutches. I was kind of saving my big return for when I’m walking on my own.” He stopped speaking, his gaze intensified and he leaned in a little closer, studying her every expression. She tried to look away, to hide whatever he saw there, but he was too quick. “What are you worried about?”
“It’s no big deal.”
He reached for her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. “Everything is a big deal until you’re safe.”
She shook her head. She didn’t need him there.
Except maybe she did.
“Do you think Gary’s going to be there?”
She nodded, hating the way her chin trembled.
He scratched the side of his face but never looked away. In fact his gaze only grew more intense. “Then I’ll be there, too.”
SIX
“Did you see who showed up?”
Mandy jumped at the voice in her ear, spinning to face her friend Ashley, bumping into her stomach. Immediately she reached out to rub the baby bump Ashley cradled in her hands, but this was no time for apologies. “Who?” Her stomach twisted at the face her mind immediately conjured.
Gary had all but promised he’d come. And there was no telling who or what he might bring with him.
Her gaze darted from tent to tent, searching out any sign of a threat among the throngs. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but what if she wasn’t looking for the right things? Danger could lurk in any booth, behind any smile.
This could be the night her stalker found his mark.
Goose bumps rushed down her spine as a lump lodged in her throat, and she squeezed her friend’s arm.
Ashley’s blue eyes lit up as she nodded down the makeshift fairway. Past the man handing out whispery cotton candy to wild-eyed children. Beyond the booth with the blue-and-white-striped tent, where children threw balls at stacked bottles and squealed in delight when they hit the mark. Through the crowd of men lined up for a shot to dunk the most senior SEAL in attendance.
Mandy’s heart lurched with relief, her breath releasing on a heavy sigh.
Where she’d exp
ected to see Gary, she found Luke, all compassionate blue eyes and baby-faced grin. He locked onto her like a missile, weaving between friends and strangers alike but never stopping.
Ashley gave her shoulder a little push. “I’ll watch your booth. Go see him.”
“Who?” Oh, dear. She sounded far too innocent. Even she didn’t believe her ignorance.
As only a true friend could, Ashley offered a sardonic glance. “You should talk to him. He’s cute.”
“You’re married.” Mandy tried to sound affronted, but she’d never been able to keep a straight face in the midst of a joke. When she broke, laughter bubbled out of Ashley.
Rubbing a hand over her belly, Ashley said, “And very happily so. But I’m not blind. I know a good man when I see one.”
She wasn’t wrong. Luke was a good man. And good-looking, too.
He was also her patient.
But there was no time to argue that point as the subject of their conversation arrived. “Ashley.” He nodded to the petite blonde. “How are you feeling?”
“You sound more and more like my doctor every time I see you.”
“And you still avoid answering my questions every time I see you.”
“Touché, Cub.”
Mandy chuckled at their exchange but paused at the unfamiliar nickname. “Cub?”
It was hard to tell for sure in the colorful lights winding up the tent poles, but Luke’s neck seemed to turn pink. “It’s nothing.”
Ashley didn’t have the same sense of restraint. With an evil grin, she began the story. “When he was in BUD/S—that’s Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training—he was a little chubby.”
“I was not.” He caught Mandy’s eye, embarrassment pulling his features taut. “I was very average. I just wasn’t as fit as some of the beasts in my class. And your husband has a big mouth.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “Anyway, with a round face, he looked like he was twelve. And he was endlessly polite.”
“So they deemed you a Cub Scout.”
Luke crossed his arms. “You’re the first person to get that right away.”
Mandy covered her mouth and the giggle that threatened. It wasn’t a far stretch to see him as a little boy. After all, she’d viewed him that way for more than a few days. But no longer.
“My work here is done,” Ashley said. With a quick squeeze of Mandy’s elbow, she disappeared into a sea of smiling faces.
Without taking his eyes off her friend’s retreating form, he stabbed long fingers through this hair, sending unruly curls in every direction. “Well, that was…”
“…sweet.” Mandy filled in his blank but at his frown knew she’d picked the wrong adjective. “What? I think it’s a cute story.”
“Just what every SEAL wants to hear. Do me a favor?” He leaned in as if he was going to tell her the secret of Pandora’s box. “Don’t let any of the others hear you say that.”
“Deal.”
Just then, a little girl with blond pigtails ran up to the booth, waving two orange tickets. “I want to win!” Mandy handed her three green rings and showed her how to toss them at the metal bottles. The first ring landed on the ground three feet from the closest bottle. The second just a foot closer.
The girl’s lower lip pouted as she fought back tears. “I was going to win that bear for my mommy.”
Then Luke was at the girl’s side, his big hand encircling hers. “Together?” He cocked his head to the side while she looked all the way up into his face. Whether she saw the kindness there or felt the restraint of his grasp, she nodded furiously.
They practiced the motion twice, and he whispered, “On three. One.” Her eyes grew bright.
“Two.”
Mandy held her breath.
“Three.”
As if it knew exactly where it belonged, the ring sailed through the air in a perfect arch, landing on the nearest bottle. The girl let out a cheer of delight, clutching the bear that Mandy handed her as though it were priceless. She was gone in an instant without even a thank-you, but Luke’s grin was witness to what they’d done.
“Nice work.” Mandy had to stop to clear the lump in her throat. “You made her night.”
“Then we’re even.”
His wink was nearly her undoing. Entirely enjoyable shivers ran down her spine, and she almost reached for his arm. She had to think about something else. Anything else. “You’re on your crutches tonight.”
He gave each of them a comically long perusal. “That is accurate.”
The urge to make contact finally won out, and she risked a playful push on his shoulder, instantly regretting it. How could such a small exchange make her insides line up to do the conga? “I meant, it’s going to be a long night on your feet. You could have used a wheelchair.”
“I could have.” His expression said it had never even been an option. Of course, he’d admitted that he didn’t even want to meet his teammates while on crutches. It would be ten times worse to do it in a wheelchair. “But I have this annoying physical therapist who’s always trying to get me to keep my muscles strong.”
Her heart fluttered at his teasing smile, and she shot back at him as good as she got. “You’re my worst patient.”
He shook his head until one of his blond curls fell in front of his eyes, and he brushed it away with an easy flick of his wrist. “You mean, because I put all your other patients to shame.”
“Something like that.” Another playful push into his unmoving arm.
Teasing wasn’t crossing the line. Was it?
No. They could laugh and joke. It was a natural part of a working relationship. It didn’t mean anything.
Even if her physical reaction to his proximity wasn’t quite on board with that.
“Are you really going to stay on the crutches all night?”
“As long as you’re here.”
He was so matter-of-fact about it. There was no doubt or question in his voice. He wasn’t asking her permission or her approval. He was a man on a mission.
And apparently she was it.
Nothing had ever made her feel quite so warm.
“Since we had to reschedule our session today,” he said, “are you going to make that up to me?”
Her gaze dropped to his knee. “You up for a walk tomorrow?”
“How far?” Hope made his voice jump half an octave.
“Maybe a quarter mile.” Her grin broke into a full-on smile. “With a walker.”
His head whipped from side to side to make sure that no one else had heard what she’d said. And he dropped his voice until it was almost inaudible. “Are you kidding me? I’m not going to use…one of those things.”
“Literally. You’re my worst patient. Worse than any doctor I’ve ever worked with.”
Actually, he was doing remarkably well. Once he’d figured out that he could trust his knee not to buckle, he’d walked several lengths of the room without crutches or handrails at their last appointment. In fact, he’d wanted to keep going.
Stopping him from pushing too hard was going to be her most difficult job.
He rolled his eyes and finally nodded. “Fine.”
With a pat on his shoulder, she whispered, “It’ll be our secret. I won’t let anyone see you with it.”
The planes of his face seemed to soften, his eyes filling with concern. “Are you doing okay?”
“Of course.”
“I mean, have you had any more trouble? Have you seen Gary or Camilla tonight?”
Shivers gripped her entire body, but she shook her head. “Maybe they won’t show.”
“Maybe.” He didn’t believe it, either.
“Dunham!” They both jerked in the direction of the loud voice calling his name. “Where you been hiding?”
Luke’s gaze jumped from Mandy to Will Gumble to the family approaching the booth, tickets in hand. Will charged toward them, the grin on his tan face stretching to its limit.
“I’m going to say hi.” He squeezed Mand
y’s hand. “But I’ll be here all night. And I’ll keep my eyes open.”
She nodded as he ambled toward his friend, who threw his arms around Luke like a long-lost brother. Their words were garbled by the sea of other voices, but the tone of pure joy couldn’t be missed even over the crowd.
The family of four finally reached her, shoving tickets in her direction and cheering as they tossed the plastic discs into the booth. Too many smiles to count, Mandy tried hard to join in their laughter.
But a niggling worry at the back of her mind kept her eyes darting across the crowd, always on the lookout. Would Gary make good on his threat to show up? And if he was here, would Camilla be far behind?
If the other woman did show up, maybe she’d stick around long enough for the cops to question her. Or maybe just long enough to find her mark.
*
“We haven’t seen you around much since we got back.”
Luke nodded. Will was right. He hadn’t ventured much farther from his parents’ place than Mandy’s office. “I’m not so good at pool on these things.” He tapped the rubber foot of his crutches and tried to follow it with a sardonic grin.
Will’s dark eyes filled with pity. “Man, I’m sorry. I know this is tough.”
Luke bit back the urge to say that he had no idea what it was like to lose his job, his future, his girl on some foreign street with a name he couldn’t even pronounce.
But Will was still his best friend. The guy who’d made sure he made it through BUD/S and who had shoved him on a chopper and gotten him out of Dodge on the worst day of his life.
“I’m doing okay.” And as Luke said the words, he realized that he meant them. And it was almost entirely due to the woman laughing with a family at the ring toss. He couldn’t take his eyes off Mandy’s face. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, the long waves shimmering in the light, like the sea beneath the moon. Her eyes danced, but the joy there was restrained at best.
He’d never met anyone quite like her. How could she be so graceful under fire? Gary or Camilla could be hiding in any number of dark corners, but Mandy still did whatever she could to make a child’s night.
His ex, Bianca, had been pretty much the opposite.
He hadn’t seen it at first. Young and blinded by outward beauty, he was all in before Bianca could snap her fingers. She’d been the reigning Miss Balboa County when they’d met. He’d just received his trident pin. She’d liked that he was a SEAL. He’d liked that she liked him.