Marrying Raven (Brides of Clearwater Book 2)

by Melanie D. Snitker

  Heath shook his head. “Nope. I’m ready to get started.”

  “All right.” She withdrew her hands and made a point of not rubbing them together first. She narrated what she was doing as she slowly manipulated and stretched soft tissue around the scar. It was tight, but she’d seen worse. She felt Heath tense beneath her hands. Raven frowned. She’d joked about how not many people had the excuse to cause their ex physical pain and get away with it. But the truth was, she didn’t like hurting him. He might have deserved a good punch to the stomach, but this was different.

  “Let me know if this is too much. We want to work on decreasing the scar tissue, but we don’t want to push things.”

  “No, no. This is fine.” His voice sounded a little tight. He hesitated. “Look, I know we said we were keeping everything professional. Mom mentioned you’ve been dating a doctor and things were serious between you. I wanted to say I think it’s great you found someone. I’m happy for you, Raven.”

  Really? After all these sessions, he had to mention Wade now, the day after they broke up? She didn’t want to have this conversation. She realized she’d paused, her hands still resting on his calf. His muscles flexed beneath her palms, and she withdrew them as though she’d touched a hot stove. Yeah, nothing like talking about your ex-boyfriend with your ex-fiancé while you’re holding his foot in your hands.

  ~*~

  Heath bit back a groan. See, this was why he should’ve listened to his instincts and kept his mouth shut. This was why he’d told himself repeatedly that he needed to keep their conversations centered on his therapy and nothing more.

  Raven stopped massaging the scar. She was still touching him, her slender fingers curved around his calf, but she’d frozen in place. A moment later, the pressure of her hands disappeared. “I…I had no idea your mom even knew anything about Wade.”

  So that was the guy’s name. Mom said she couldn’t remember. “Apparently, her hairdresser knows your mom, or something along those lines.” He wanted to kick himself with his good foot for bringing this topic up at all. “I’m happy for you, Raven.”

  “Thanks.” She uttered the word so softly, it was barely audible. Raven’s warm hands touched his skin again, and he flinched as the sore tissue around his scar complained. Before long, she’d finished. He sat up and flexed his foot as he focused on her. She had her hair pulled up into a tight ponytail today, the end of it teasing one of her ears as it swung back and forth.

  Heath swallowed hard as he remembered the many times he’d placed a kiss to that very ear. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

  Raven cleared her throat, took a step away from the table, and looked at him. Uncertainty swirled in her brown eyes for a moment before she covered it with determination. “Wade and I broke up last night. I figure your mom will probably hear about it the next time she goes to the salon, so I may as well tell you.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, and her expression was neutral. Most people would assume the breakup didn’t affect her much.

  But even after twelve years, Heath could see she was fighting to produce that almost convincing smile. “I’m sorry, Raven.” He paused. Part of him felt horrible for her. Yet, the tension that had gripped him since he’d heard about Raven’s boyfriend eased a little. That only made him feel guilty. Letting this particular topic of conversation drop would be the smart thing to do. But before he stopped himself, more words came pouring out of his mouth. “I know it’s none of my business, and I’m sure you have plenty of people you go to when something’s bothering you. But if you need to talk… We’re here for two hours a week, and I promise what’s said in the therapy room stays in the therapy room.” Heath’s lame attempt at humor garnered a chuckle from her.

  Raven shrugged. “That’s not going to happen. It is what it is. We grew apart.” The moment the words left her mouth, she reached for the iPad and made several notes. Her soft voice brought his attention back to her. “In case your mom wonders, you can tell her I’m doing okay. Truthfully, the decision to end our relationship was mutual.”

  This tentative side of Raven wasn’t something Heath saw often. The whole time he knew her in high school, she’d been one of the most self-assured girls he’d ever known. “Still, it can’t be easy.”

  “Oh, my parents will have a field day with this when they find out. It’ll be one more sign of how I keep messing things up. They never even liked Wade. But he was a doctor and had money, so they made an exception.” She paused. “You know how my parents were. They’ve changed little in the last twelve years.”

  “Yeah, the same with my father.” There was a hint of frustration in his voice he hadn’t meant to let through, and Raven picked up on it immediately. “If it were up to him, I’d be here eight hours a day, seven days a week. Whatever it takes to get me back on the field, because that’s all that matters.” He half expected her to agree with what his father might say, but Heath had shared enough about his family back in the day. She’d seen how his father was, too. He shouldn’t be surprised to see the understanding and sadness in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry. I figured your parents were thrilled to have you back after so long.”

  There was a slight emphasis on the last two words, and he couldn’t blame her. Ignoring it, he shrugged. “Mom is. But Pop is still Pop. Life isn’t complete without football in it.” The dubious look on her face made him defensive. “There’s a difference between enjoying the game—doing what you love for a living—and living for the game. A big difference.” The words came out harsher than he’d intended. But he didn’t appreciate even the most remote comparison between himself and his father. They were nothing alike. Heath had always loved football, but his father had almost ruined that for him, too.

  Raven released a sigh. “It’s too bad everything with family has to be so complicated, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it sure is.”

  They were both silent for several moments. Heath shifted on the table. His foot throbbed, and they hadn’t even started the rest of the exercises.

  “You going to be okay?”

  “Sure.” Heath ran a hand through his hair. “Working at the gym is bound to make it feel better.”

  She gave a half-hearted laugh at his sarcasm. “I wouldn’t count on it.” Raven nodded toward his foot. “Seriously, though. You’re making great progress. Hopefully you’ll be out of that boot by the end of October and free to head back to Cleveland. At least you won’t have to listen to your father try to push you any longer.”

  “Isn’t that the truth? Things haven’t been easy with him.” He paused. “I bought a house on the north side. I’m moving in today or tomorrow.”

  He thought Raven would drop her device the way she pivoted toward him. “What?”

  The look of shock with a splash of panic bothered Heath. He raced to clarify. “I can’t handle living in that house with him for another day. Besides, it’ll give me a place to stay when I come back to visit Mom. If being back here has taught me anything, it’s that I don’t want to stay away as long next time.”

  Raven was studying him, and he couldn’t quite read her face. A heartbeat or two passed before she spoke. “I’m sure your mom would be thrilled if you visited from time to time.” She glanced at the clock. “We’d better get moving on the isometrics before we run out of time.”

  It was all business again. But for Heath, something had changed. Every other appointment, he couldn’t wait to put space between himself and Raven when he headed to the gym.

  Today, when it came time to leave the room, part of him wanted to linger.

  Chapter Six

  When Raven showed a new patient to the gym late Wednesday morning, the last person she expected to see there was Heath. After she answered her patient’s questions, the sight of Heath lifting weights made her pause. Her instinct was to walk out before he saw her, but the therapist in her couldn’t. What was he doing here? Before she knew it, she was moving in his direction.

  He sat up on the weight bench with a
groan as she approached, his eyes widening in surprise. “Hey.”

  “Hi.” Raven crossed her arms in front of her. “What are you doing here?” She nodded toward his injured foot. “You should be careful to not push too hard.”

  “Why? You worried about me?” Heath’s smile transformed into a grin.

  The same grin that used to make her pulse thrum. Apparently, she had yet to develop an immunity to it. She raised her brows at him. “I’m serious, Heath.”

  “Yeah, I know.” His smile fell away. “I was hoping to get moved into my new place yesterday, but there was a delay. I should be set for tomorrow, but I have way too much anxious energy to sit around and wait. So I came here.” He glanced at his watch. “How about I take a quick shower and we go grab some lunch?”

  Raven stared at him. Sure, they’d had an almost normal conversation yesterday during his session. But that didn’t mean they were suddenly friends again. It was a big leap to go from one conversation to eating together.

  When she didn’t answer right away, he added, “You do still eat lunch, right?”

  Despite everything, a small laugh bubbled to the surface. “Yes, I still eat lunch.” She should tell him no and keep their interactions firmly in the professional realm. But the hopeful look on his face, combined with the reassuring knowledge he’d leave again in a few weeks, stopped her. Finally, she nodded. “I take my lunch in twenty minutes.”

  “I’ll find you in fifteen,” he promised, his smile returning.

  Raven raised a hand in acknowledgment and went to finish some paperwork. The whole time, she kept kicking herself for agreeing to go to lunch. There wasn’t any way out of it short of sneaking out of the CRC before he returned, and she wouldn’t stoop that low.

  Before long, they were standing on the sidewalk out front deciding where to eat. They settled on a sandwich shop a block away. Heath used his thumb to point toward the parking lot behind him. “I hope you don’t mind if we drive.”

  Raven glanced at his foot. “Of course not.”

  “Come on, I’ll give you a ride. No sense in taking two cars.”

  She wanted to object and take her own vehicle. Instead, she followed him to a shiny black Ford F350. It looked brand new. “You just get this?”

  “Yep.” He ran a hand along the sleek surface of the passenger door. “One blessing about messing up my left foot: I can still drive while wearing this stupid boot.” He pulled the door open and motioned for her to climb inside.

  Once at the sandwich shop, they ordered and then found a place to sit in one corner of the dining area. Raven took a sip of her sweet tea. This was the first time she’d had a chance to sit down all day. She relaxed against the back of her chair and let out a sigh.

  Heath observed her from across the table. “Are Wednesdays usually this busy for you?”

  “If it weren’t for Fay’s scheduled mandatory lunch breaks, I’d probably skip it most of the time.”

  “Then I’m glad she insists. Everyone needs a break.” He nodded toward her tea. “I expected you to order coffee. Are you not addicted to the stuff like you used to be?”

  Raven chuckled. “I prefer to call it a serious hobby.” She lifted her cup and took another sip. “I’ll get some coffee this afternoon. There’s a place I prefer, and I’ll need the caffeine fix to get through the rest of the day. I take it you still don’t drink it?”

  “I have a cup most mornings now.”

  That was a surprise. There was something in his eyes that suggested there was a story behind that statement. But someone from the sandwich shop brought their food to the table, and they both focused on their meals for a while. Three times over the next half hour, someone Raven didn’t know stopped by to tell Heath hello or shake his hand.

  “I had no idea you still knew so many people here in town.”

  “I don’t recognize most of them.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal.

  “I don’t think I could get used to that.” It was like sitting with a movie star. The interruptions from his fans were getting on her nerves.

  Heath took a bite of his dill pickle. “It doesn’t bother me most of the time.” His cell phone rang, and he glanced at the screen.

  “Do you need to get that?”

  “Nah.” He silenced the phone. “It’s Benny, one of my teammates. I’ll call him back later this afternoon.”

  Raven hadn’t even considered that Heath might be staying in touch with his team while he was in Clearwater. It made sense, though. Was he wishing he were back in Cleveland right now?

  She pushed that thought from her mind. Last night, Raven’s family had reminded her to invite Heath to one of the home games. Now seemed as good a time as any. “Look, my sister wanted me to ask you something. You are free to say no. In fact, I encourage it.” She wiped her hands off on the napkin she was holding. “Rosie’s husband is the coach for the Raptors. They were wondering if you might go by one home game and say hi to the kids. Maybe encourage them a little.” She held a hand up. “There, I’ve officially asked. Like I said, don’t feel pressured.”

  “Wow, so Rosie married a coach. I’ll bet your family is over the moon.” He polished off the rest of the dill pickle.

  “You aren’t kidding. As far as they’re concerned, at least one of their daughters didn’t screw up her life.” She tried to sound aloof. He had no idea what all had happened once he left after high school. “Anyway, I know they’ll ask me about it at the game tomorrow, and now I can say I’ve passed along the invitation.”

  The corners of Heath’s mouth lifted in amusement. “You go to the high school football games?”

  For some reason, the fact he found humor in it annoyed her. She sat up straighter and gave him a firm glare. “It’s expected.”

  “It can’t be that bad. Surely they’d understand if you didn’t want to go.”

  “They think my biggest failure was not convincing you to take me with you when you left. Football is a frequent reminder I could do without. I wouldn’t go to another game if I could get away with it.” Raven dropped her wadded-up napkin onto the table next to her plate. “But it’s worth it to avoid the guilt of not being there to support my sister and her family.”

  ~*~

  Heath stared at Raven as her words hung in the air between them. What? He’d regretted how he left Clearwater—how he’d left her—but never once did he blame her. That her parents had was ridiculous.

  “I had no idea, Raven.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. I go to the games when I can, put a smile on my face, and pretend I don’t hate that blasted sport.”

  The way she spat out those last two words made Heath’s heart ache. Back when they were together, she’d never missed a game. She’d been on the sidelines and cheered as much as anyone else. In fact, it’d been her smiling face that had given him so much drive when he’d been out there on the field.

  That she hated it now was his fault. He’d known his decision had hurt her, but he hadn’t allowed himself to consider all the ramifications. And she’d been dealing with it for a dozen years. He knew then he’d make it to the next high school home game. If nothing else, at least her family might give her credit for that and get off her case for a while. He owed it to her. “I’ll check the schedule when I get to my parents’ house and make it out there soon.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He watched as she pinched off some ham from her sandwich and put it on her tongue. She’d only eaten half of her lunch, and it didn’t look like she would eat any more. “Not hungry?”

  “I’ll wrap this up and eat it for dinner.” Her gaze roamed the dining area before it focused on him again. “Sorry, I shouldn’t complain so much. Rosie and Carl are perfect together. Their first baby girl is due the first week of November. I’m truly happy for them, and it’s given my parents something to focus on, too, which is never a bad thing. It’s just…” She stopped, and her cheeks grew pink.

  “It’s just they’ve been o
n your case since I got back.”

  She shrugged. “The past always rears its ugly head.”

  Heath needed to shift the topic away from football. “So you’re going to be an aunt, huh? Looking forward to it?”

  “You know, I really am. I’ll be one of those aunts that my niece comes to when she has a fight with her parents so she doesn’t get into trouble. I want to be the fun aunt that’s always making her laugh.”

  “You’ll be great at it, and she’ll be lucky to have you.”

  “I appreciate that.” Raven looked like she was about to say something else before she clamped her lips together. Even though she was now finishing the last of her cheddar and sour cream potato chips, the question shined in her eyes.

  “Out with it, Raven.”

  She shrugged. “Well, you know about my breakup with Wade and how my parents blame me for being single. What about you? I half expected there to be a Mrs. Heath Shaw nursing you back to health.”

  Her question was more than fair, but it didn’t mean it was an easy one to answer. “I’ve dated some. I guess I haven’t found the right person who can forgive my crazy work schedule.” He winked, hoping that was answer enough. Truthfully, no girl he met could compare to Raven. He’d given his heart to her in high school, and when he’d moved away, he’d neglected to take it with him. She didn’t need to know that, though. “Besides, can you imagine me bringing a girl home to meet my father? If she wasn’t scared off before, that’d finish the job.”

  “He is a force to be reckoned with. I never knew how your mom put up with him.”

  “All I can figure is they balance each other. Opposites attract and all that.” A look at his watch told him Raven’s lunch hour was nearly up. They needed to get going as much as he’d rather stay there and keep talking. “I’ll go get you a to-go box for the rest of your sandwich.”