table closer.
When he glanced pointedly at her left hand, her gaze in turn shifted immediately to his. Large, capable hands. In a heartbeat she regretted the action. There was no need to let him know that she’d often wondered if he’d married. After all, she’d moved on with her life long ago.
Hadn’t she?
* * *
Matt glanced at her name tag: Matson RN. There was zero doubt in his mind that Anne hadn’t told anyone about her “unfortunate” marriage.
Of course she had neatly erased the past. He expected nothing less.
Her black-brown hair framed her face in a bob that barely kissed her chin, the long bangs swept carelessly to the side, framing her face. Her features had evolved from a young, carefree girl to a classically elegant woman. He fought hard to ignore the fact that she was more beautiful now than at eighteen.
“So, you’re a nurse,” Matt said.
“Yes.”
“Just like your aunt wanted.”
Anne tensed a fraction, yet only silence ensued.
“Nine years,” he finally murmured.
“Excuse me?”
“We haven’t seen each other in nine years.”
“Ten,” she said, without looking up.
The simple response was enough to shake him to his core.
“Close your eyes, please. I’m going to cleanse the area and we don’t want to get any Betadine in your eyes.”
“Got it.”
Her touch was gentle as she attended to his face. With his eyes closed he could smell the antiseptic along with a whiff of vanilla. Involuntarily, his lips curved into a smile. Anne always wore vanilla lotion. Why was it that solitary lingering memory stood out, pushing open the door to an onslaught of thoughts of what could have been?
He dared to peek at her once more, however her attention remained steadfast on her task. Then, as if sensing his perusal, her clear, dark eyes met his and held for a fraction, rounding in stunned surprise. She quickly glanced away.
“Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing in town?” Matt couldn’t resist the question.
“Welcome to Paradise,” Anne said with a rueful smile. “Everyone is already buzzing about the company that won the bid for the development down at Paradise Lake. I haven’t seen this much excitement since the state put us on the map of Colorado.”
She turned and smoothly grabbed a package from the table and tore it open. “How did this accident happen?”
“Pouring cement today. Long story short, the driver hit a piece of equipment. Manny and I were in the way.”
“You’re fortunate the injuries weren’t worse.”
“The Lord was watching out for us. That’s for sure.”
“So you’re in construction instead of architecture?” she asked.
“Oh, I’m a residential architect. But it turns out I like being outside better than being trapped in an office.”
“How long have you been with this company?”
“ ‘This company’ is mine.” Pride underlined his words. “Mine and Manny’s. We worked construction together overseas for a long time and finally decided we wanted to be our own boss.”
“In Paradise? Why not Four Forks?” Her brows rose slightly.
“There’s nothing for me in Four Forks. I haven’t been back since I left for college. For the record, I’m in Paradise because we won the bid,” he said, making it very clear that their past had nothing to do with his future.
The opportunity in Paradise had opened up just when he’d needed to put down roots for himself and his daughter. It would go a long way toward establishing his company in the Paradise Valley and providing them with the credibility to launch them into the big league. He felt God’s hand on everything that had occurred in the past weeks...well, except for today’s disaster.
“So you’re not staying? This is temporary?”
“I’m not sure yet. We’ll be headquartering somewhere in the valley.” He bit back his irritation. “I can shoot you a memo when I decide, if that will help.”
She frowned at his sarcasm, but said nothing, and Matt regretted his words. Somehow being around Anne for the first time in so many years brought out the bitterness he thought he’d moved beyond. Maybe forgiveness wasn’t as easy as a simple prayer, after all.
When Matt began to shift on the gurney Anne put the weight of her forearm firmly against his shoulder, all the while maintaining the sterility of her gloved hands. Neat trick. She didn’t look strong enough to hold a big guy like him pinned to the table. Yet she just did.
“Please don’t move. I’m trying to remove some debris from the wound.”
“Sorry.” He closed his eyes against another wave of emotion brought on by the warmth of her arm against his shoulder.
Her touch still staggered him. That was worrisome. Very worrisome.
Silence stretched as she concentrated. “Got it,” she finally said. The examination gloves snapped as she removed them. “All done. Now Dr. Nelson can suture the site.”
“Great. Thanks.” He grimaced as he sat up.
“What hurts?”
“What doesn’t? Mostly my ankle.”
“I’m guessing more than a little. It’s likely that you have a fracture or at minimum a bad sprain. Once your lab work and X-ray are reviewed, I’ll get the doctor to prescribe something for the pain.”
“What I really need is to get out of here. I have to be somewhere.” He reached to his back pocket and frowned. “Left my phone on the site.”
“I can bring a phone into the exam room for you.”
“Thank you. I’d really appreciate that.”
“No problem. That’s my job.”
Right. Her job. Nothing personal. She’d effectively grounded him with those two words.
Then for the first time since she’d walked into the exam room, Anne really looked at him. Her deep brown eyes stared unflinching as though she was searching for answers. Then her cheeks pinked and she opened her mouth. No words came out. She winced as if in pain herself, finally glancing away.
She was remembering.
A small part of Anne Matson hadn’t forgotten what they had once shared. The fleeting expression of remorse, sadness—or whatever had been on her face—unsettled him
