“Larissa, I put a new patient in room four for you,” Merry Haines, the

Hope County Hospital ER charge nurse, called out.

“Okay.” Larissa Brockman finished documenting on her recent discharge

and then pushed away from the computer. The hour was well past midnight,

but the ER remained incredibly busy on this Memorial Day Friday night. Or

rather, Saturday morning.

She crossed over to room four but then stopped abruptly in the doorway as

she saw the familiar face of her patient. Annie Hinkle, a fifty-year-old woman

looking a decade older than she should, was seated on the gurney cradling her

right arm against her chest.

No. Not again. The tiny hairs lifted on the back of her neck in alarm. This

was the second time Annie had been here over the past month. The last time

was for a black eye that she swore was not caused by her husband, Kurt’s,

fist.

What would be her story this time? Larissa took a deep breath and let it out

slowly before entering the room. “Hello, Annie.”

“Hi.” Annie’s gaze barely met hers before skittering away.

“What did you do to your arm?” Larissa asked, keeping her voice gentle as

she approached. She had the distinct impression the woman was on the edge

and wouldn’t hesitate to flee if cornered.

“I fell off the front porch—you know how klutzy I am.” Annie refused to

meet her gaze but kept staring down at her arm as if the injury might heal

itself if she concentrated hard enough.

“I don’t think you’re klutzy at all,” Larissa murmured. “Show me where it

hurts.”

“Right here,” Annie said, removing her left hand to reveal a darkly mottled

bruise encircling her wrist. Larissa felt a little sick looking at the injury,

knowing there was no possible way this had happened from a fall. She could

clearly envision a man’s large hand squeezing hard enough to cause this.

She’d be surprised if there weren’t a few broken bones hidden beneath the

horribly discolored skin.

“Okay, I’m going to get you a cold pack for that, and I’m sure the doctor

will want X-rays, too.” She kept her voice calm with an effort. “Do you need

something for pain?”

Annie lifted her shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “Maybe a pain pill would

help.”

Larissa nodded, thinking the poor woman needed far more than a pain pill.

She batted a wave of helplessness aside. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” she

asked. “Maybe you hit your head? Or your ribs?”

“No, just my wrist.”

“All right, I’m going to check in with Dr. Allen, and then I’ll be right

back.”

“Sure.” Annie’s gaze jerked away, causing Larissa’s stomach to knot

painfully.

She recognized the signs and symptoms of abuse. Only too well. Dark

memories from the past threatened to overwhelm her, and she fought them

back with an effort. Struggling to keep her emotions under control, she

grabbed an ice pack from the supply rack and then went searching for Dr.

Gabe Allen, the physician in charge of the patients on her team.

He was on the phone talking to the inpatient hospitalist about a patient he

wanted admitted. She hovered nearby, waiting until he finished his call. He

hung up the phone and flashed a warm smile. “Hi, Larissa, what’s up?”

His smile was far too attractive, an effect she’d been fighting for months

now. So far, she thought she was hiding her feelings pretty well. “I need you

to examine my patient in room four,” she said in a soft tone in a voice. “I’m

convinced she’s being physically abused.”

Gabe’s smile faded. “Are you sure?”

She’d only been a nurse here at the Hope County Hospital for six months,

but she’d thought she’d proved her competence by now. She scowled. “Trust

me, I’m sure.”

Gabe gave a terse nod. “All right, let me finish up this inpatient admission,

and I’ll be right over.”

“Thanks.” She hurried back over to Annie’s bedside, squeezing the

disposable ice pack between her hands to activate the chemical reaction

inside. “Here, place this around your wrist, okay?” she instructed. “Dr. Allen

will be here shortly.”

Annie winced but didn’t say anything as she placed the cold pack over her

wrist.

Larissa struggled to find the right words that might break through the

woman’s wall of denial. “Annie, you don’t have to put up with anyone

hurting you. We have programs that can help keep you safe.”

“No one’s hurting me,” Annie swiftly denied. “I told you I fell off the

porch.” Her voice rose with indignation, and instinctively, Larissa knew she

needed to back off or the woman might bolt.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I just don’t like the idea of anyone hurting you.” She

forced a reassuring smile. “You’re such a nice woman, and you certainly

deserve to be treated as such. Oh, look, here comes Dr. Allen now.”

“How are you, Mrs. Hinkle?” he asked. “I understand you may have

broken your wrist.”

“I fell off the porch,” Annie said, repeating her story like a parrot.

“Hmmm,” Gabe murmured as he removed the ice pack from her wrist. His

eyebrows pulled together in a dark frown when he saw the extent of the

injury. He probed the skin gently, his expression serious. “We’re going to

need several X-rays of this wrist,” he said.

Larissa swiftly logged on to the computer. “AP and lateral views?” she

asked as she entered the order.

“Yes.” Gabe replaced the ice pack and gave Annie a stern look. “You

know this didn’t happen from a fall,” he said bluntly.

“Yes, yes, it did.” Annie’s voice was beginning to sound desperate. “I’m

klutzy and I fell off the porch.”

Gabe’s frustrated gaze locked on Larissa’s, and she knew exactly what he

was thinking. She gave him a tiny nod, acknowledging their dilemma, and

then turned toward Annie. “Okay, just relax for now. The radiology tech will

be here shortly to take you over to get the X-rays. Dr. Allen, do you think she

could have a dose of Percocet for the pain?”

“Of course.”

“Great, I’ll be right back.” Larissa walked over to the automated drug-dispensing machine and punched in her password along with Annie’s name

and ID number. The Percocet drawer popped open, and she removed one

dose before closing it up again. When she spun around, she nearly bumped

into Gabe.

“We have to notify the sheriff’s department,” he said in a low voice.

“I know.” The Wisconsin state statutes were pretty clear regarding cases of

suspected abuse. Still, she knew that doing the right thing could also backfire

in a big way. “But you heard her. There’s no way she’s going to press

charges against her husband. And I’m afraid that he’ll only get angrier once

the deputy questions him. What if he takes that anger out on her?”

Gabe ****** his fingers through his dark brown hair. “You could be right,

but what choice do we have?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, hating the feeling of helplessness. The

system was supposed to work for victims, but more often than not, it created

a vicious cycle, one that couldn’t be broken unless the victim took a stance.

But too many of those victims didn’t. “Let me talk to the social worker first,

okay?”

“Okay, but giving her pamphlets on domestic violence isn’t going to help,”

Gabe said with a dark frown. “We have to call the authorities.”

She nodded, knowing with a sinking heart that he was right. She could

only hope that the police could get through to Annie better than she and Gabe

had been able to.

She closed her eyes and prayed that Annie wouldn’t end up back in the ER

with injuries that were far worse than a black eye or a broken wrist.

Please, Lord, keep Annie safe!

____________

Gabe stared at the deputy in disbelief. “You’re telling me there’s nothing

you can do?”

Deputy Armbruster held up his palms in a helpless gesture. “What do you

want me to say? I could haul Kurt Hinkle down to jail, but if she doesn’t

press charges, he’ll be out by morning.”

That couldn’t be right. “Surely there’s enough evidence there to charge

him with abuse even without her testimony?”

“Look, maybe he admits he grabbed her too hard, and she jerked away and

oops? Look what happened?” The deputy sighed heavily. “Without Annie

testifying against him, this could be made to look like some sort of accident

rather than an intentional act of abuse. With no priors, he’ll walk.”

Gabe sensed Larissa beside him, and he was annoyed that he’d recognized

her vanilla scent. Regardless, he kept his attention focused on the problem at

hand. He just couldn’t believe there wasn’t something that could be done

legally to prevent Kurt from hurting his wife. Again.

“What about the black eye from a few weeks ago?” she asked.

Gabe scowled. “I don’t remember that.”

“You weren’t working that shift,” Larissa pointed out. “I was on with Dr.

Gardener.”

Deputy Armbruster pursed his lips. “We could maybe argue that it’s a

pattern, but again, not likely. I got a black eye myself playing softball with

my girls.” He smiled grimly. “My daughter Elise has a good arm.”

Gabe understood what the deputy was saying, but that didn’t mean he had

to like it. “So what can we do?”

“Look, I can go chat with Kurt if you want me to. At least he’ll know that

we’re on to him and—”

“No,” Larissa interrupted harshly. “Don’t.”

“What?” Gabe glared at her. “Why not?”

“Because he’ll be mad and take his anger out on her, that’s why.” Larissa

turned toward Deputy Armbruster. “If you can’t arrest him, then just leave it

alone.”

Gabe couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What was she doing? Why

wasn’t Larissa standing up for their patient? “I think it would do Kurt good to

know we’re on to him.”

“Why?” Larissa asked, her green eyes sparking fire. “So next time he can

hurt her where the bruises won’t show?”

What? He took a step back. “No, of course not.”

“Leave it alone,” she pleaded. “I’ll talk to Annie, okay? Maybe I can help

in ways the police can’t.”

Deputy Armbruster shrugged. “Okay, let me know if anything changes.”

“Gabe? We need your help over here,” Merry called. “This patient’s

breathing is getting worse.”

“Go ahead, I’ll talk to Annie,” Larissa said.

Reluctantly, he nodded and hurried over to where Merry was standing

beside another patient who was clearly in distress. The beeping oxygen-saturation monitor showed numbers that were steadily declining. “Get me an

intubation tray now.”

All thoughts regarding his other patients vanished as he quickly focused on

saving this gentleman’s life. He placed the breathing tube and then quickly

connected the oxygen supply, giving him several slow, deep breaths.

“O2 sat up to 90 percent,” Merry announced with satisfaction.

The respiratory therapist came over to secure the tube. Gabe kept an eye

on the guy’s vital signs, reassured that he was holding his own, at least for the

moment. “All right, call up to the ICU and let them know we have a patient

for them.”

“Will do,” Merry promised.

Gabe did a quick visual check on the other patients under his care before

heading back over to where Larissa was sitting beside Annie Hinkle. Annie

was staring down at the cast he’d ordered to be placed on her wrist after

determining that indeed she’d suffered two minor fractures.

Which could have easily been far worse. The good news was that she

wouldn’t need surgery.

The bad news was that he’d have to discharge her home. Back to her

abusive husband.

He paused outside the doorway, listening as Larissa spoke softly to Annie.

“Here’s my name and phone number,” Larissa said, pressing a small, folded

piece of paper into Annie’s uninjured hand. “Call me if you feel afraid, or if

you just want to talk. I’d be happy to help in any way I can.”

“Thank you,” Annie whispered. “But really, I’m fine. Just a bit klutzy.”

“Remember what I told you?” Larissa asked.

Annie slowly lifted her gaze to meet Larissa’s. Her softly spoken “yes”

sounded almost like an admission.

“Call me anytime,” Larissa repeated.

“I will.”

Gabe stood there for a long moment, wishing he’d heard the entire

conversation between the two women. He’d sensed right from the start that

Larissa had identified with Annie on a level that he couldn’t possibly

imagine.

Because of her previous ER experiences? Or from something more

personal? He was surprised by the flash of anger at the thought of someone

hurting Larissa.

He signed Annie’s discharge orders, unable to get the thought out of his

mind. From the moment he’d first met Larissa, they’d connected on some

sort of subliminal level. He was attracted to her, not just because of her pretty

face and soft, wavy, blonde hair. But because they were both extremely

dedicated to their patients and shared the same interests, like running. He’d

caught sight of her several times when he took to the running trails, always

giving her a nod of recognition but never stopping to chat.

He’d had to work hard to keep his distance from her. Romance and work

did not mix, a lesson he’d learned the hard way.

He’d come to Crystal Lake a year ago, his pride battered and his reputation

tarnished. After a year, he’d gained the respect he’d so desperately needed.

Soon, he hoped to win the position of medical director for emergency

medicine, putting his painful past away once and for all.

He refused to even consider a personal relationship, especially with one of

the nurses.

But as he watched Larissa give Annie a brief hug and escort her out the

door, he couldn’t help wishing that he’d met Larissa under different

circumstances. That she wasn’t a nurse working in the ER with him.

Because he liked her, far too much.

Larissa finished off the rest of her twelve-hour night shift, grateful when

the steady stream of patients slowed to a mere trickle. Between her deep

concerns over Annie Hinkle and her ridiculous awareness of Gabe, she was

physically and mentally exhausted.

Outside, she paused to stare in awe at the rising sun sliding up the horizon

in the east. The beautiful sight helped restore her sense of peace.

Church services would be nice, too, even though it was Saturday she knew

Crystal Lake Church always held an early morning service. She slid into her

car and headed in the direction of the small, beautiful, white church steeple

clearly visible between the leaves of the trees. She was glad it was Memorial

Day weekend as she had the next two days off before she had to return to

work. As painful as the twelve-hour shifts were to endure, the extra days off

were wonderful.

At the stoplight, she yawned so wide her jaw popped. Her eyelids became

unbearably heavy, and she pried her eyes open with an effort. Maybe it was

better to forgo church services and head home since she was likely to fall

asleep anyway. Her apartment was only a few miles away. Thankfully, she

made it home without a problem.

Inside, she set her alarm to go off in five hours, so she could try to get

back on a day-shift schedule. The worst part about working nights was

switching back to day shifts on her days off.

When her alarm blared five hours later, she groaned and staggered over to

shut it off. Every cell in her body craved more sleep, but she forced herself to

stay upright.

A cup of coffee and a light breakfast helped clear away the lingering fog

hovering along the edges of her mind. She stared outside at the bright

sunlight. What she needed was a good rush of adrenalin. She tugged her

running gear on, pulled her wavy hair back into a ponytail to keep it off her

neck. A visor helped block the harsh rays from the sun as she headed outside.

The first half mile was the hardest, but once she hit her stride and wound

her way along the jogging trail, shaded by towering trees, she felt every one

of her muscles relax into an exhilarating rhythm. Other than being in church,

these were the times she felt the closest to God, and she silently recited a

prayer as she ran.

Distant sounds of laughter wafted up from the lake, where locals and

tourists were enjoying the water. She lived in a small apartment building

outside of town without direct access to the lake, although buying a small

house on the water was one of her goals.

Maybe next year, she thought with a smile. She’d come to Crystal Lake to

escape a bad relationship and to get far away from the high crime rate of

Chicago. The night the cops busted up a drug deal going down in the

apartment across the hall from hers had pushed her over the edge.

So far, she absolutely loved it here in Crystal Lake.

Her peaceful run was abruptly interrupted by the harsh roar of a

motorbike. She hugged the side of the trail, peering over her shoulder to

make sure she saw the cyclist before he came upon her unexpectedly.

The growl of the engine became louder, and she stifled a sliver of unease.

One wrong move on this dirt-packed, hilly trail could result in disaster.

The motorbike abruptly crested the hill, heading straight toward her. She

leaped off the trail to get out of harm’s way. But she landed off balance, her

foot slipping on loose rocks and branches. She went down hard. The

motorbike swerved around a curve, the driver letting out a loud whoop.

“Idiot,” she muttered, assessing for injuries. Her knees and the palms of

her hands were scraped raw from her tumble, but it could have been worse.

She stood, and her right ankle zinged with pain. Great. Just what she

needed—a sprained ankle roughly two and a half miles from home.

The sound of the motorbike grew louder again, and she stared at the trail,

unable to believe the guy had the nerve to come back after the reckless stunt

he’d pulled. Sure enough, he was riding down the trail, once again headed

straight for her.

For a split second, she had the distinct impression that he was purposely

trying to run her down. She scrambled out of the way, grasping the trunk of a

tree for support as the motorbike whizzed by, so close that she could feel the

heat from the engine blasting against her legs.

She clung to the tree for several long moments, afraid the motorcyclist was

going to come back for a third time. She sent up a silent prayer, thanking God

for her safety, before she finally let go of the tree and hobbled back onto the

trail. She limped as pain reverberated up her leg with every step. Finding a

thick tree branch, she improvised, using it as a walking stick.

The soft thud of footsteps on the trail made her tense. She forced herself to

relax; there was no reason the driver of the motorbike would decide to come

back on foot. It wasn’t unusual to pass other joggers on the trail.

Sure enough, a runner came into view. A tall man, wearing a sweaty

orange T-shirt and navy blue shorts, with ear buds tucked into his ears

blocking out the noise. Personally, she didn’t get why anyone would want to

listen to music while running when the peace and quiet was 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,” she barely got out before she shut

the door firmly between them.

He stared at the closed door for several long seconds before turning to

make his way back outside to his car. The thought that she’d been so anxious

to get rid of him didn’t sit well.

And much like the way she’d interrupted his run—granted, through no

fault of her own—she annoyingly infiltrated his thoughts for the remainder of

the day

Larissa slid behind the wheel of her car, intending to attend Sunday

morning church services. However using her right foot to drive proved nearly

impossible. After several jerky attempts at driving with her left foot, she let

out a frustrated groan, turned off the car, and awkwardly climbed back out

from behind the wheel. No way was that going to work. She was more likely

to hit something than not.

She stared up at the cloudless sky, fighting a wave of helplessness. This

stupid ankle was going to ruin her few days off work if she couldn’t manage

to drive a car. She propped herself against the vehicle, enjoying the cool

breeze as she tried to figure out what to do next.

Less than one day and she was already heartily sick of being stuck in her

apartment. Maybe she could manage to hobble down to Rose’s Café? Josie

would keep her company at least for a while. There was nothing the café

The owner liked it more than gossip.

“Larissa!”

She turned when she heard her name, surprise widening her eyes when she

caught sight of Gabe Allen walking toward her. He’d parked his car a few

spaces down from hers.

“Hi, Gabe.” She was glad that this time she didn’t smell like sweat and

was dressed in a flowery skirt and a matching pink, short-sleeved top. She

tried not to fidget with her clothing. “What are you doing here?”

“I brought over a pair of crutches in case you needed some help getting

around.” He gazed at her attire and lifted his brow. “Are you headed

somewhere special?”

She blushed and wished she could stop this ridiculous reaction to him. “I

planned on attending church services, but driving is apparently not an

option.” Had he mentioned crutches? She brightened with the possibility. “I

bet I could walk to church, though, if you’re serious about allowing me to

borrow those crutches.” Church and then Rose’s café. Much better than

sitting around and staring at the four walls of her apartment.

“I think it would be better if I drove you to church,” Gabe said slowly.

“Crutch walking isn’t easy for long distances.”

“Oh.” She was flabbergasted by his willingness to take her to church

because she’d never seen him attend services in the past. “That’s very kind,

but I don’t want to take you out of your way.”

“It’s no problem. Here, lean on me, and we’ll get you over to my car.”

She found it unsettling to realize she was standing close to Gabe with his

arm anchored around her waist for the second time in less than twenty-four

hours. She had no idea why God kept sending this man into her path, but for

right now, she couldn’t think of an excuse not to go along with his offer.

Other than the obvious one, that spending time with Gabe wasn’t smart.

But she breathed a little easier when she was safely seated in the passenger

seat of his car. She waited until he slid into the driver’s seat before glancing

at him. “You know, I wouldn’t mind if you dropped me off at church and

come back in an hour if you don’t want to go in with me.”

Gabe looked past her, over his shoulder as he backed out of the parking

space. “Is that a polite way of saying I’m not welcome?” he asked.

“No! Of course not.” She was horrified that he would think that. “I guess I

I just never noticed you attending church services before.”

A smile bloomed across his features. “Isn’t it the job of a good Christian to

convince us non-goers to attend church and to rediscover our faith?” he asked

in a teasing tone. “At least that’s what my sister always tries to do.”

She relaxed after hearing his sister was a Christian. “Yes, you’re right

about that. I would love for you to come to church, but I can’t force you to

believe in God. You have to come to that realization on your own.”

Gabe was silent for a moment. “I have to be honest with you. I haven’t

been to church in well over a year.”

She wondered what had happened to cause his lapse in faith. And given

what he’d just told her, she had no idea why he’d even offered to come with

her in the first place. But she didn’t want to pry into his personal life by

asking. She, better than anyone, understood the need for privacy. “Well, I

have to tell you that out of all the church services I’ve attended in my

lifetime, Pastor John gives one of the best,” she said lightly. “He’s down to

earth and yet always helps remind us what God would want us to do. Maybe

I’m being presumptuous, but I think you’ll like him.”

Gabe made a noncommittal noise but didn’t say anything more as he

pulled up to the parking lot of the church. She struggled to get out of the car,

which wasn’t easy, but within moments, Gabe was there, helping her.

“Thanks,” she murmured, hoping he wouldn’t notice the breathlessness in

her tone.

“Stay there,” he told her. “I’ll get the crutches.”

He pulled the aluminum crutches out of the backseat and set them next to

her. “Try these. I set them up for your height based on memory, but I might

have the measurements wrong.”

She took the crutches and propped them beneath her armpits, not surprised

to discover they were perfect. “They’re great. Thanks so much.”

“I broke my foot once, so trust me, I know what you’re going through,” he

confided. “It’s not as easy to crutch walk as it looks.”

She flashed him a smile and made her way over toward the sidewalk

leading up to the front door of the church. Gabe stayed right beside her, his

hand hovering on the small of her back, as if he was worried she might fall.

There weren’t many parishioners in attendance as it was the holiday, but

those who were there greeted her by name. She didn’t know if she should

introduce Gabe, and if so, as what? Her friend? A colleague? One of the

doctors she worked with? She couldn’t bring herself to use any of those

options, so she decided not to say anything at all.

Gabe was likely regretting his offer to bring her, based on the knowing

looks being flashed their way. Did Gabe realize the power of small-town

gossip? She could feel her cheeks turning red and ducked her head, hoping no

one would notice.

She told herself not to worry what anyone else thought. If this was what

Gabe needed to bring him back to the church, then the minor discomfort was

well worth it.

Closing her eyes, she sent up a small prayer. Please, Lord, show Gabe the

way home.

____________

Gabe stood beside Larissa in church, wondering why on earth he’d agreed

to this. She’d given him an out, had offered to be dropped off and picked up

in an hour when the service was over. Honestly, that was exactly what he’d

considered before she mentioned it.

But he hadn’t taken the chance to skip out. Instead, here he was, attending

church in the first time in over a year. His sister had dragged him to services

whenever possible back in Madison, but after moving to Crystal Lake, he

hadn’t bothered.

When Larissa had mentioned that she couldn’t force him to believe in

God, he’d relaxed his guard. He loved his sister, Kimberly, but she was

constantly preaching at him, trying to get him to buy into every one of her

beliefs. Instinctively, the more she pushed, the more he’d backed off.

He picked up the hymnal and found the opening hymn. One thing he’d

rather liked about the church services was the music. It occurred to him now

just how much he’d missed it.

As the organist began to play, they rose to their feet and began to sing

along. His baritone was a bit rusty, but he soon got into the rhythm.

He caught Larissa’s pleased smile as she joined him in singing along. Her

arm lightly brushed his, and he kept his eyes centered on the hymnal,

pretending not to notice.

Even though he did.

The pastor was younger than he’d anticipated. Gabe hadn’t expected to

enjoy the service, despite Larissa’s glowing praise of Pastor John Gorman,

but since the theme of the sermon today was forgiveness, he found his

attention riveted on the pastor’s words.

Pastor John paused for a moment and then read, “And whenever you stand

praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father

in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses (Mark 11:25).”

The passage struck a chord deep within. He’d remained so angry with

Rebecca after the way she’d destroyed his reputation at the University

Hospital in Madison. Telling his boss and the hospital leadership that he’d

sexually harassed her when, in fact, she was simply upset because he’d

broken off their relationship. She’d cost him his job. No matter how much

he’d tried to deny her allegations, he knew there was no way to recover from

the stigma.

It was her word against his, and he’d lost. Big time.

Shaking off the past, he focused on the pastor’s sermon. According to

Pastor John, if he wanted to find peace, he first had to cleanse his soul. And

that meant forgiving Rebecca.

Could he really do that? He knew he should, but saying and doing were

two different things.

The organist began the closing hymn before he’d even realized the service

was nearly over. And he was even more surprised that he hadn’t been

watching the clock, the way he used to. In fact, he’d enjoyed the service.

“Thanks for bringing me, Gabe,” Larissa said softly. “That was exactly

what I needed this morning.”

“My pleasure,” he responded. “Don’t tell my sister, but I liked it, too.”

She laughed, and the sound reminded him of picnics at the beach. Or

maybe that was just the last time he could remember being happy. Odd that

he felt more lighthearted and relaxed around Larissa.

“How would you like to go out on my boat this afternoon?” he offered. “I

know the lake will be busy considering it’s the Memorial Day holiday, but

we can still have fun.”

Her blue eyes glowed with excitement and surprise. “Oh, I’d love to do

that. You have no idea how horrible it is sitting inside the apartment while

everyone else is out having a good time.”

“Great. How about we grab some lunch and then head over to my place.

Unless you need to go home first for some reason?”

“No, I’m fine.” She blushed. “And I was thinking of stopping at Rose’s

Café, anyway.”

“Rose’s Café it is.” He was glad she’d agreed to come with him, even

though he wasn’t exactly sure why he’d brought the idea up in the first place.

Nothing had changed. Larissa was still a nurse at Hope County Hospital,

and he was still vying for the medical director position. He couldn’t afford to

get emotionally involved with someone he worked with. Yet he could relate

to where she was coming from. Sitting at home alone didn’t hold a lot of

appeal for him, either.

He would just have to make sure that spending the day with Larissa was

about being friends and nothing more.

____________

Larissa told herself that being out on Gabe’s boat didn’t mean anything.

Even though Josie had wagged her eyebrows when she’d noticed Larissa and

Gabe together. Larissa tipped her face to the sun and tried to calm her racing

heart. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea she’d ever had.

So why had she said yes?

The logical answer was that she’d been bored and hadn’t wanted to sit

around in her apartment. But the real reason was that she liked Gabe. As a

person, not just as a physician she worked with.

And she hadn’t liked a man in a really long time.

For the first time, she realized that she’d been running away from her past.

As much as she learned to love Crystal Lake, the fact of the matter was that

she would have worked anywhere that wasn’t Chicago Central.

Gabe wasn’t Rolland. She’d made one bad decision, but did she have to

live with that one bad decision forever? Maybe it was time to forgive herself.

Wasn’t that what Pastor John had suggested?

“I brought you here to relax, not to be stressed out,” Gabe said as he

slowed the boat, banking gently around a curve.

She hadn’t realized that her distress had been so evident and cleared her

features. “Sorry about that. I guess I was wallowing in the past. You’re right

that being out on the water like this is very relaxing. You must come out here

whenever you have a day off, weather permitting.”

“I don’t come out often enough,” he admitted. “I tend to lose myself in

running instead.”

She grinned. “Yes, I know.”

He was silent for a long moment. “I’ve been working hard to let go of the

past as well,” he finally said. “So I understand how it can creep up on you at

the worst time.”

She lifted a brow, surprised he’d admitted that much. “We should be able

to let go, right? Considering how nice and peaceful it is here.”

He nodded as he glanced around. “Yeah, nothing like the city, that’s for

sure.” He lifted his brow. “It’s a bit ironic that we’re both relatively new to

the area.”

She remembered her first few weeks here and suppressed a shudder. “At

least you were a Wisconsinite.” She’d heard he’d moved here from Madison.

“I came from Chicago, and let me tell you, that was a huge hurdle to

overcome.”

He laughed. “I can only imagine.”

She smiled in spite of herself. “Thankfully, Julie Crain befriended me, and

since she grew up here, the locals finally stopped treating me like an

outsider.” Julie was working this weekend or she would have had someone to

hang out with.

Someone other than Gabe Allen.

Not that she was complaining or anything.

“I bet if we asked around, we’d find more transplant residents than those

who were born here,” Gabe confided.

The thought of people who were born and raised here made her think of

poor Annie Hinkle. According to Julie, the Hinkles had been here as long as

she had. Her smile faded. “You might be right,” she agreed.

Her cell phone rang, surprising her. She stared at the screen for a moment,

tempted to let the call go to voice mail as she didn’t recognize the number.

Reluctant curiosity compelled her to press the green button to answer.

“Hello?”

“Larissa? It’s me, Annie.” The woman was speaking so softly she could

barely hear her.

A shiver of apprehension rippled down her spine. “Annie? What’s wrong?

Are you okay?”

There was a loud crash followed by nothing but silence.

Annie had hung up.