Page 94 of The Matchmaker and the Marine

“No, it came out of the socket.”

“I’ll call an ambulance.” Melinda opened her bag to get her cell.

Will said, “Melinda, it’s okay. Don’t call.”

Confused, she looked at Will and then Adam. “If he needs to go to the hospital, an ambulance is best.”

Will helped Adam to one foot. She heard a snap. Will supported him as they hobbled to the car.

She demanded, “What is going on here?”

“Mel.” Adam’s face was ashen. “This isn’t how I planned to tell you.” He swallowed hard. “I have a prosthetic leg.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Melinda looked at Will. “Did he hit his head?”

Under his breath Will said, “You should have told her.”

Adam searched her face with his eyes. “I lost it. From the IED.”

All the air in Melinda’s lungs seemed to evaporate. She croaked, “What?”

Adam was sitting in the passenger seat of the car. He looked at her and pleaded, “Can we talk about this at the hotel?”

At a loss for words she nodded. Will said, “I’m going to get Stacey and we’ll meet you two there. Adam will need help getting up the stairs.”

Adam heaved himself to a standing position. He hobbled to the back door, using the car for support. He half fell inside and looked at Melinda. “Come with me.”

She looked at Will. Softly she said, “I’ll ride with Adam.”

The ride back to the inn was silent and the air filled with tension. Adam stared out the window. Melinda had a thousand questions, but she didn’t want to ask them, at least not yet. The most important one of all was—why hadn’t he told her? After the past weeks of them seeing each other and growing closer, it mystified her why he hadn’t.

Melinda turned her head to stare out into the inky darkness. She thought they were friends. No, that wasn’t true. She thought they were more than friends on the path to something potentially significant between them. She had shared the single most painful and life-altering event in her life with Adam, and yet he had held back from her.

She noticed the streetlights cast flickering shadows across his face. His mouth was set in a grim line. Was he in pain, embarrassed or mad?

All too soon the town car stopped in front of the inn. The driver opened Melinda’s door first and helped her from the back seat. She walked around and stood on the bottom step. Adam pushed his door open. His eyes locked with hers.

He pulled himself upright. Melinda stepped toward him and held out her hand. “Let me help you up the stairs.”

Adam seemed to hesitate before taking her hand. “You’re cold.”

Without answering she said, “Let’s get inside.”

One stair at a time, Melinda held Adam steady. He was concentrating on each step. “Your leg hurts, doesn’t it?”

He let go of his breath. “Yeah.”

The driver ran up the steps and held open the door. Melinda said, “Thank you.”

She paused to dig in her purse for a tip and he said, “It’s all set, miss.”

Adam cocked his head. “I planned ahead.”

They entered the semi-darkened entrance. There was a Victorian lamp glowing on the desk and a similar one on the mahogany credenza. An overhead light illuminated the stairwell.

“Do you want to sit or just head upstairs?”

“Will should be pulling in. He can help me get to my room.” He pointed to the dimly lit drawing room. “Would you mind helping me get to the chair?”

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