felt exponentially guiltier. She’d really, truly been in harm’s way and it had all been his fault. He quite literally could have killed her. He could have ended the life of this beautiful woman. The weight of that sat squarely on his shoulders. Call it his biggest fear, but ever since he’d been a kid, he’d worried about making a choice that would lead to an irreversible mistake. If he hadn’t decided to go for a drive, Joy wouldn’t have ended up in the snowbank.
As reluctant as she’d seemed to accept help, he would have to insist on whatever Dr. David’s orders were. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Dr. David was nodding and writing down some notes. “Okay, well, it sounds to me like you’re going to be okay. It doesn’t sound like you’ve sustained any kind of serious injury.”
Joy sighed and her shoulders dropped in relief. “Oh, good. Thank you.”
“That being said, you should not be alone over the next 24 hours. If something crops up, you’ll need help to get to the nearest medical center.”
Now Joy didn’t seem quite so happy. “I’m staying by myself right now, but it’s not a big deal. You said it yourself. It sounds like I haven’t sustained any real injury.”
“But I can’t be certain of that without examining you myself. I think it’s best if Alex stays with you if his schedule allows.”
The ramifications of that sank in quickly, but Alex knew David was right. She shouldn’t be alone. Just to be on the safe side. He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to her. “I’m on vacation, so I have nowhere else I need to be. I’m happy to do it.”
“We’re supposed to get a lot of snow tonight,” Joy pled. “You could get stuck here.”
Again, this was not the sort of reaction Alex was used to. Most women did everything they could to spend time with him. It wasn’t a boastful bit of information; it was merely the truth. “That’s quite literally the last thing I’m worried about right now.”
“I’m sure you two can work it out,” David said. “Call me at this time tomorrow and let me know how the patient is doing. And Alex, if you need anything in the middle of the night, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll have my phone right by the bed.”
“Thanks so much. You’re a real lifesaver,” Alex replied. “We’ll call you tomorrow.” With that, he ended the call.
Joy sat back on the couch and wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m fine. Really, I am.”
“I know. I know. I still think we have to play it safe.”
She twisted her lips and tucked her leg under herself.
“We could play cards. Or watch TV. Or talk. You must get lonely living in this big house by yourself.” It occurred to him then that he’d assumed that since she was alone, she’d always be alone. “Oh, wait. Do you have someone coming to stay with you? For the holidays? A boyfriend? A husband?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Is that your way of asking if I’m taken?”
He wasn’t convinced it had been a bad approach. He shrugged and kicked off his shoes. Might as well make himself comfortable. “Well? Are you?”
“No. I’m not. I’m too focused on my career for a man right now anyway.”
Judging by the generosity of the friends who were letting her stay in their house, Joy must have a pretty big and successful career. “What do you do? No. Wait. Let me guess.” He studied her face, trying to keep his eyes from drifting to her other pleasing features like the graceful slope of her neck, her long legs. She was definitely serious. Focused. But she also had this girl-next-door vibe that was not only super sexy, it wasn’t entirely congruous with being a bigwig. “Entrepreneur. You started some company that went through the roof. Organic cosmetics or maybe yoga wear?”
She shook her head. “You couldn’t be more off base if you tried.”
“Well, you’re definitely a huge success, whatever it is that you do. That’s pretty obvious.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m a huge success, but I get by.”
She was modest. He liked that. Most people in his circles were eager to rattle off their pedigree and accomplishments, whether they’d worked hard for them or not. Joy was a lovely change of pace. “Oh, come on. You’re spending time in this huge house all by yourself. You obviously have some very successful friends, and in my experience, successful people attract other successful people. Plus, you just have that air about you.”
She narrowed her skeptical eyes. “That air?”
Alex let out a frustrated sigh. He wasn’t doing particularly well for himself. Nothing he said seemed to be clicking. “You seem very comfortable here in a home like this, that’s all. That’s a sign of someone who’s had some success.”
Joy pulled her leg up and set her foot on the edge of the couch. Her toes were painted a deep red that made his pulse race. She was certainly a beguiling creature. She rested her chin on her knee and cast a thoughtful look at him. “What about you? What does Alex Townsend do?”
Part of him wanted to ignore her reply and circle back to her. She hadn’t really answered his question. She might have an even greater sense of humility than he’d realized. Or perhaps there was stress and strain involved with her occupation, and now that it was the holidays, she simply wanted a break, a concept with which he was intimately familiar. After all, she was staying in this big house all by herself at Christmas. If anything said, “I need to be alone,” it was that. “I work in finance. Investments. It’s my family’s business, but I’m running it right now. It’s not the most thrilling career, but it’s what my family has always done.”
“Are you close with your family?”
“I’m very close with my brothers. We all work together. My dad retired last year and put me in charge, but he’s not doing a very good job of being a retired person.”
“Has to keep his nose in everything?”
It was a constant point of friction, the most difficult part of Alex’s day. As the oldest Townsend son, he’d always been heir apparent to Townsend & Associates Investments. He’d looked forward to the day when his father would finally step aside and let Alex take the reins. Unfortunately, his dad second-guessed him constantly, especially now that Alex was putting his own stamp on the company and changing things, making their operation more modern and more equitable among the employees. “Yeah. You could say that. I keep hoping it’ll get better. It’s only been a little more than a year since I took over.”
“Sometimes parents can be overbearing. Mine were not happy when I decided to go to culinary school.”
“So you’re a chef? I wasn’t that off base.”
“You’re were pretty off base.” She nodded. “At the moment, my focus is baking.”
“Hold on a second. You’re Joy Baker, the baker?” He couldn’t hold back his grin. There was something extremely adorable about this revelation.
“Yes, although I’m not sure why that is so funny. I’m classically trained. Cooking is my passion. My grandmother instilled that in me.”
“I’m
