by Terri Reed
Her heart stuttered at his words. “Thank you.”
He grinned and then kissed her. A sweet, quick kiss, but it was enough to make her breath stall and her head swim. He released her and took off with Troy. She watched them make their way through the skaters. She loved them. Both of them. And hadn’t the foggiest idea what to do about it.
After a lunch break in the café attached to the ice rink, David couldn’t wait to get back out on the ice. He’d forgotten how much he liked to skate. But even more, he liked watching the joy on Sophie’s face as she mastered skating. She was doing so well. So was Troy. The kid was a natural. David decided formal lessons were in his nephew’s future. Troy needed to be active and make some friends. He could join an ice-hockey team for youngsters. They could have a sport in common.
“Okay, everyone grab your sweetheart.” The announcer’s disembodied voice filled the rink. “It’s couple skate.” A love song played through the speakers.
Sophie turned to head for the break in the wall that led to the spectators’ section.
“Where are you going?” David called out. “You’re our sweetheart.”
“Yeah,” Troy piped up. “You’re our sweetheart.”
Sophie’s cheeks brightened with a pretty blush and she skated back to them. She took Troy’s hand and nodded with her chin for David to take Troy’s other hand. David’s heart flipped over as he grasped Troy’s hand. With Troy between them, they skated together, like a real family.
He couldn’t help the tidal wave of longing that hit him square in the chest. He wanted this. Wanted to make a family with Sophie. He’d fallen in love with her. The thought wound a corded rope of apprehension and fear around his chest. She was leaving, he reminded himself.
He’d promised he wouldn’t ask her to stay. He couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair. He couldn’t ask her to give up her dream job, an opportunity to further her career. Not when he knew once this vacation was over and life returned to its new normal, David would have to refocus all his energy into his company when he wasn’t with Troy. There wouldn’t be anything left for a romance.
Was that true? Or was he afraid?
The unbidden questions made his mouth go dry. Of course he was afraid. Pain always followed love. Yet he had a hard time equating Sophie with pain. She was light and good and everything that a man could want in a wife.
Oh, man.
He wasn’t looking for a wife. Didn’t want that kind of emotional turmoil.
But Daniel and Beth had been happy. Their parents had been happy.
As long as we’re together, his mom would say, life can throw anything it wants at us.
And it had. Painful, horrible things.
Things that were out of their control.
The disturbing thoughts twirled around his mind like the skaters on the ice.
On their second lap around, Troy drew their hands together until David was holding Sophie’s. “You two go round,” Troy urged and then he skated to the side.
“He and Grandma must be in cahoots,” Sophie said with a laugh as she skated next to him.
“Cahoots?” He liked holding her hand, their gliding steps in sync.
“In case you haven’t noticed, Grandma has been playing matchmaker.”
He wagged his eyebrows. “Oh, I’ve noticed.”
And he was helpless to stop it. Didn’t want to, in fact. Which left him confused and conflicted. Especially when her shy smile caused his heart to twist like a pretzel in his chest. How could he be so happy with her yet resist looking forward to a future together?
He’d never been in a situation like this before and wasn’t sure what to do.
When the song ended and the announcer called out, “All skate to the last song of the public session,” David and Sophie returned to Troy’s side.
“Okay, buddy, this is the last time around,” David told Troy, though he had to admit he was enjoying the skating so much more with Sophie at his side.
“Why?” Troy groused as they moved out onto the ice.
“It’s the way it works, kiddo,” Sophie said. “I saw on the schedule they have a figure-skating class after this.”
“I don’t want to go home,” Troy muttered and jerked away from David.
David’s stomach clenched. Oh, no. Please, Lord, not a tantrum here on the ice.
Troy pulled ahead of them, his little legs digging into the ice and his arms pumping. Concerned that Troy would fall or cause someone else to fall, David shot Sophie a quick glance and saw her nod; then he took off at a fast pace after Troy.
Troy cut away from the wall and headed toward the center of the rink, where a group of older teens was skating backward and spinning around each other.
“Troy, no!” David called out.
Troy didn’t stop, but forged headlong into the group. A large teen spun on his skates, not noticing Troy until it was too late. The teen struggled to stop but he rammed into Troy with his hip, sending them both flying. Troy’s feet came out from beneath him and he landed on his back, his head hitting the ice, hard.
It seemed as if the world froze. David could no longer hear the music. Only the roar of panic filling his veins.
“Troy!” David’s heart stopped. He skated to Troy’s side. Troy’s eyes were closed. Red seeped onto the ice. David couldn’t breathe as panic gripped him in a stranglehold. “Please, Lord, no.” His first instinct was to gather Troy into his arms. He reached for him.
“Don’t touch him,” came a stern voice. A man in a red jacket with a white cross on the breast pocket knelt beside Troy. “I’m the ice marshal. Let me get this on him. Then we’ll lift him onto the litter.” The man gingerly placed a neck collar around Troy’s neck.
David blinked as the world resumed and the noise of the rink returned. Soft hands clutched his arm. He turned to find Sophie next him, her face pale and her eyes large and worried.
“Help me lift him,” the ice marshal said.
David gathered Troy’s torso while the ice marshal gently lifted his head. The boy that had slammed into Troy lifted Troy’s feet. They secured him onto the litter.
“An ambulance is on its way,” someone said from behind them.
The ice marshal lifted a rope attached to the litter and then skated toward the gate, dragging the litter behind him. David and Sophie hurried after him.
By the time they had the litter at the front lobby, the ambulance had arrived. The paramedics took possession of the litter and Troy. They assessed him, then lifted the litter into the back of the ambulance. David handed Sophie the keys to his truck before he climbed into the ambulance next to Troy.
One paramedic shot a sharp glance at the skates still on David’s feet. David didn’t flinch. The paramedic shrugged and closed the doors.
Through the little windows cut out in the back doors of the rig, David saw Sophie standing on the sidewalk as the ambulance pulled away. When she was out of sight, he took Troy’s hand and bowed his head.
“Lord, I know I have no right to ask, but please . . . I can’t lose him.”
At the hospital, David was forced to stay back as the nurses and orderlies rushed in to take Troy out of the ambulance. Then they whisked Troy to the emergency room. David followed, the skates on his feet clicking on the hospital floor, but a nurse blocked the way as the doors swung shut behind Troy.
“Sir, you can’t go back there,” the nurse said.
“But my son,” David said. “He needs me.”
“He’s getting the best care possible.” She steered him toward a desk. “We need you to fill out some forms.”
“Forms?” Forms weren’t important. All that was important was Troy. Tears burned the backs of David’s eyes.
The nurse gently pushed him into a chair at a desk. The woman sitting on the other side stared at him with compassion. David had no idea what the forms said or what he signed. He couldn’t think, couldn’t process. Where was Sophie?
Then she was there. Her touch tender, her heart in her eyes. She
was his anchor in the stormy chaos of panic and fear. He reached for her, like a lifeline. And froze.
Alarm bells clanged loudly inside his head. What was he doing? Lifelines could be severed. Cut clean through by drought and disease. In car crashes and freak accidents. The only control he had was protecting himself and Troy. He jerked back and stared at the floor.
He’d vowed he’d never risk his heart or be this vulnerable to anyone. But he’d never been this raw, this exposed in his life. He needed to lock his emotions down and refocus his energy on keeping Troy safe and his business thriving. He couldn’t make room for anything else. Anyone else.
CHAPTER
14
Sophie sat on a hardback chair in the ER waiting area and stared at David in confusion and hurt. When she’d finally reached his side with his shoes in hand, she was sure she’d seen relief in his eyes at her arrival. But then the next second he’d withdrawn, shut down, locked her out.
Now he had his hands jammed into the pockets of his coat, his head bowed. He paced the length of the emergency room lobby as they waited for the doctors to give them an update on Troy.
Her heart beat too fast in her chest and she struggled to regulate her breathing. The frantic drive to the hospital had stretched her already overburdened nerves. She’d wanted to run red lights to keep up with the ambulance but had forced herself to remain in possession of her judgment.
It wouldn’t have helped if she’d caused an accident. It was bad enough that Troy had fallen on the ice, hitting his head. From the looks of it, he’d split open his scalp. She’d seen her brothers’ head wounds growing up and knew that the scalp bled easily. There was no way to tell by the amount of blood on the ice how bad the cut was. But that wasn’t what worried her. The fact that he’d lost consciousness was what had her stomach in knots.
At the very least, he’d have a concussion, but it could be worse. She’d prayed the whole way to the hospital for Troy to wake up and that there’d be no lasting damage.
“Sophie? David?”
Grandma and Simon approached. Simon had a steadying arm around Grandma’s waist as she hobbled in on her booted foot.
Sophie jumped up to rush into her grandma’s waiting arms. She’d called Grandma the second she’d parked in the hospital parking garage. Thankfully, Grandma and Simon had been headed home from the craft fair.
“How is Troy?” Grandma hugged her tightly.
Simon patted her back. The tender gesture brought tears to Sophie’s eyes.
“We don’t know yet.” Sophie stepped back, trying to gather her control. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course.” Grandma eased herself onto a chair. “Tell me what happened.”
Sophie sank down beside Grandma and told her and Simon about their day at the skating rink. “I should have anticipated he wouldn’t cooperate.”
“He’s not your responsibility,” David said in a low tone as he halted in front of them. “I should have known. I should have handled the situation differently. This is my fault.”
Sophie’s heart thudded with a dull ache. David blamed himself. “Oh, David.”
“No one is to blame,” Grandma cut in crisply. “It was an accident. Troy will learn to control himself as he matures. But life happens. We all act impulsively at times, and nothing is guaranteed.”
David’s hooded gaze hid his thoughts. His jaw tightened and he resumed pacing. Sophie itched to wrap her arms around him and comfort him. That’s what families did for each other in crisis. But from the stiffness in his shoulders and the harsh lines on his face, she doubted comforting was what he wanted.
The waiting seemed interminable.
“Would anyone like some coffee?” Simon asked.
Sophie shook her head.
David didn’t respond.
Grandma put her hand on Simon’s arm. “Thank you, but no. I don’t think I could stomach it.”
Simon nodded. Sophie felt bad for him. He hadn’t asked to be stuck in the ER lobby with them. “If you need to leave, Simon, I can take Grandma home.”
Simon arched an eyebrow. “I’m right where I need to be.”
If Sophie weren’t so concerned about Troy, she’d have sighed with delight at Simon’s obvious devotion to her grandmother.
David stopped. “What’s taking so long?”
Though Sophie knew the question was directed at no one in particular, she rose and went to his side. “I’m sure the doctor will come out soon.”
David’s steel gray gaze raked over her and then away. He walked to the window overlooking the parking lot. “I hope so. This waiting is driving me crazy.”
“David.” Simon drew their attention. “Louise mentioned you’re working on an app that will change the world. How is that coming along?”
Slowly David turned from the window. “You told your grandmother?”
Sophie drew her chin back. An anxious tremor rumbled in her gut. “Not the details. Just that you were working from home.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I asked you to keep that to yourself.”
She put a hand on his arm. “I didn’t reveal anything crucial.”
David turned away, but not before she glimpsed the disappointment in his eyes. “It’s fine. In the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter.”
But it did matter. He mattered to her. Didn’t he know that? Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned the app, but she honestly hadn’t thought he’d be upset about Grandma knowing why he was working from home.
“Mr. Murphy?” A dark-haired man wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck approached.
David practically pounced on the doctor. “Troy?”
“I’m Dr. Kakar,” the man stated. “Troy is your son?”
“Nephew. I’m his guardian,” came David’s tense reply. “How is he?”
The doctor’s calm smile included them all. “He’s awake and in good spirits. Quite talkative. His scalp required two sutures but the wound won’t leave a scar.”
Sophie sagged in relief to hear Troy was okay.
“Thank you, God,” Grandma murmured and hugged Simon.
David’s tension visibly drained. Suddenly he looked haggard and worn. “Can I go to him?”
“A nurse is with him,” Dr. Kakar said. “I have at-home instructions for you. Mostly he’ll need to rest for the next few days. If he complains of a headache, or double vision, please call ASAP. I’d like you to follow up with his pediatrician.”
“I will,” David promised. “Now may I see him?”
“Right this way,” the doctor said and turned.
Sophie rose, wondering if she should follow David, but he took off without a backward glance, leaving her feeling as if she stood on shifting sand. Watching his retreating back, she had the same choking sensation she’d experienced as a kid when her brothers would leave her behind, as if she didn’t matter.
“Go with him,” Grandma urged. “He’s hurting and scared and confused. He needs you. Even if he doesn’t realize it.”
And I need him, Sophie thought. Talk about scared. But right now wasn’t about her. She had to put her own fears and old hurts aside to do what she could to support David and Troy.
She hurried to catch up with David. When he glanced at her, his eyes widened. For a moment there was a softening, then the steel gray flattened and he turned away to follow the doctor into a room. If he needed her, as Grams said, he was doing a good job of fighting it. She lowered her chin and matched his stride. She’d show him fight.
Troy’s happy chatter greeted them. He was regaling the nurse with a story about Riggs. Sophie’s heart squeezed tightly. Love spread through her. She had to check herself to keep from rushing to Troy’s bedside and scooping him into her arms. Instead, she hung back as David did exactly what she wanted to do.
David gathered Troy close. “Kid, you are going to shorten my life span.”
“Look, Uncle David!” Troy wormed his arm free and pointed to his head. “I’ve got sti
tches.”
“That’s what I heard,” David murmured. He closed his eyes.
Sophie couldn’t stop herself from inching closer, desperate to be included in their reunion.
“Initially you’ll keep them dry and then you’ll need to keep the wound site clean,” Dr. Kakar said. “We’ll give you supplies along with written instructions.”
“I don’t have to take a bath!”
Sophie couldn’t help a laugh from escaping. “Maybe still take a bath, just not wash your hair.”
Troy spied her and beamed. “Sophie!”
David’s spine straightened. He slowly released Troy. “Sophie was worried, too. She came to make sure you were okay.”
Taking David’s words as an invitation, she closed the distance and laid a hand on Troy’s leg. “I’m happy to see you.”
David edged away from her and spoke to the doctor. “Can I take him home now?”
Dr. Kakar nodded. “Yes. I’ll get the discharge papers ready.” He looked to Troy. “Troy, stay on your feet from now on, okay?”
Troy gave the doctor the thumbs-up sign. “Yes, sir.”
“Let’s get Troy into a wheelchair,” the nurse said. “Hospital policy.”
David stepped back to the bed. “Excuse me,” he said to Sophie.
His politeness grated on her nerves. She moved out of his way so he could lift Troy and place him in the wheelchair the nurse brought in. As they waited for the discharge papers, David said, “Do you mind catching a ride home with your grandma and Simon?”
Sophie’s heart stalled as hurt and rejection tumbled through her. “Okay. I can do that.”
He gave a decisive nod, then turned his attention to the doctor returning with the papers for him to sign.
She didn’t understand what was happening. Why was he pushing her away?
David wheeled Troy to the lobby, where Grandma and Simon gushed over Troy. When David held out his hand for the keys to his truck, her shoulders drooped. He was serious about not riding home together.
She fished his keys out of her purse and handed them over. “It’s on the top level in the second row near the elevator.”
“Thank you.” He briefly met her gaze. The flinty expression there left her cold.