A Colorado Family. Patricia Thayer

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       Chapter Three

      It had been the week from hell.

      Austin felt pain and soreness in every muscle in his body. Erin had worked him hard during every session. She didn’t believe in going easy, but that was what he liked about her. She’d shown up in the morning after her shift at the convalescent home ready to do her job.

      At eight o’clock that morning, he made his way down the hall to the kitchen. He realized he was starting to move a little easier and able to put more weight on his injured leg. That made him hopeful.

      He went to the refrigerator and took out some blueberries, then peeled a banana. After he tossed the ingredients into a blender, he added milk and powdered protein, then began to mix the concoction. As much as he wanted a cup of coffee, he needed the energy for his upcoming rehab session. The next hour would be grueling when Erin put him through the series of exercises. He smiled as he poured the smoothie into a glass. He was looking forward to it.

      He had just finished his drink when he heard the key in the lock, and then Erin walked in. She was dressed in a pair of black tights and an oversize shirt. Her face was washed clean of any makeup, and her sloppy ponytail bounced as she walked toward him.

      She smiled at him. Damn, she was too appealing. “Good morning, cowboy. Good to see you’re up.”

      He shifted his stance. Oh, he was definitely up. “Yeah, well, I can’t afford any more demerits.”

      “Good. I like your go-get-’em attitude.”

      “Do I get extra points for that?”

      “First, you have to show me some hard work today.” She walked up to the counter, took down a glass and poured some of the drink from the blender. “I’m gonna need something extra this morning.”

      He frowned, seeing the fatigue in her eyes. “Rough night?”

      “One of my patients, Hattie, was frightened and kept crying for her son to take her home.”

      Austin’s gut tightened watching the tears in Erin’s eyes as she told the story.

      “We had to restrain her.”

      “Why didn’t her son come to be with her?”

      She sighed. “He had been there most of the day, but Hattie only got more agitated with him in the room. That’s the awful part about Alzheimer’s patients—you don’t always know what’s best to do for them, and it can change every day. Patients get frightened because they can’t remember anything or anyone. It’s like they’re trapped with strangers.”

      He could see Erin’s intense compassion and got a glimpse of the personal side of this woman. She must be one hell of a nurse.

      As if she realized she was exposing a side of herself she didn’t want him to see, she turned away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump on you.” She quickly offered him a smile. “Ready to get to work?”

      He nodded and followed Erin into the bedroom. He sat down on the bench and removed his cast. He had a long knit sock to protect his calf and ankle and hide the ugly scar. She knelt in front of him and wrapped a small Velcro weight around his ankle. She looked up at him with those big green eyes. “Is that comfortable?”

      He nodded, hating that she could get a reaction from him with just a look. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

      With a nod, she began instructing him on how to do his reps. Moving up and down wasn’t easy, especially not when she had him pause and hold it. It didn’t take him too long to realize how weak he was, but he refused to cry uncle.

      Over the next hour, Austin worked the weights, then the stretches as he labored to get through the series of exercises. He’d done some upper body strength training during his hospital stay, but nearly three months on his back had taken its toll. He’d always prided himself on his strength and agility. He didn’t have much of that right now. He felt weak as a kitten.

      “Okay, you’re done for now.” Erin handed him a towel and a bottle of water as he sat up on the bench.

      “You sure?” He wiped the sweat from his face. “I mean, you forgot to use the torture device.”

      “I’ll bring that out next week.” She arched an eyebrow. “Come on, Austin. You knew this wasn’t going to be easy. You’re lucky to be standing on two legs. So don’t rush it.”

      Okay, maybe she was right.

      He took a drink and Erin did the same. She tipped her head back and took a long swallow of water from the bottle. A trickle of liquid found its way from her mouth to her chin, then down the long arch of her smooth neck.

      He gulped the cool liquid, but it wasn’t enough to chill his thoughts. Damn. He’d been without female company for too long, recalling the times when he could rodeo all weekend and have some left over for celebrating. And he meant all night with the women. He brushed aside the memories as he looked down at his scar. He groaned.

      The sound got Erin’s attention. “Something wrong?”

      “Just frustrated. I want to be able to do more, and not have it be so difficult to get there.”

      “Then use that frustration to drive you to do more, to go an extra step.” She grinned. “You’ll need it when I turn your sixty-minute sessions into ninety. And I’m not even going to charge you for the extra pain.”

      He straightened at her comment. Hell, she was right. He had to stop letting his pride get to him, or he’d never get strong enough to ride a bull. “Okay, you’re on. I can deal with whatever you dish out.”

      “Good attitude.” Her smile quickly turned into a yawn. “I hate to end this party, but I need to go home and get a few hours’ sleep before I’m due back here.”

      Suddenly he didn’t want her to leave. “Sure.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Hey, you’re not going to get much time.” He got a crazy thought. “Why not just stay here and sleep?”

      Erin looked at him and tried not to be shocked at his suggestion. “Oh, I can’t.”

      “Why not? There’s a bed in the other bedroom. It’s only a twin, but I think you’ll fit.” He raised a hand. “Before you argue, by the time you drive to your apartment, sleep, then drive back again for the later session, you lose nearly two hours.”

      Erin couldn’t deny she’d like the extra time. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Maybe she was taking on too much. She’d rather it be that than this man distracting her.

      “Okay, СКАЧАТЬ