Page 74 of Wild Desire

Dr. Sterling chuckled. "In your line of work, you should probably keep a spare around just in case."

I winced. "Haven't you heard that athletes are superstitious? I want those things out of my space."

He gave me a sheepish look. "I forgot about that. How are things with Noelle? I heard she's making donuts at the resort and offering personal assistant services."

"She's doing great." It was taking her away from our condo more often lately. But she hadn't complained. I was just missing our alone time together.

Especially the naps in the afternoon when she'd be working on my laptop while I dozed. She was a comforting presence. But I knew it wouldn't last.

"You'll be on the mountain sooner if you don't rush it. Listen to your therapist. You're getting stronger every day."

I hopped off the table. "Thanks, doc. I appreciate it."

Dr. Sterling looked up at me. "I bet you'll be thrilled to race again."

"Yeah, something like that. But now that I've been home, I've been enjoying the slower pace."

Lincoln paused. "That's why I moved back. I wanted the slower pace of a family practice and to be closer to my family."

"Any regrets?" I sat in one of the chairs to lace up my sneakers.

"Not at all. I met Penny, who recently moved here from Florida. So far, things have been better than I expected."

"Good for you. You deserve happiness."

"As do you." Lincoln stood, carrying his open laptop with one arm. "Take it easy, and I'll see you in a week. You can schedule your appointment up front."

"Thanks again," I said as I stood, grabbing my jacket and running a hand through my hair.

I texted Noelle that I'd walk to the therapy office and didn't need her back until after that second appointment.

Noelle: How'd the doctor visit go?

Killian: Good. I should be cleared for full workouts soon.

Noelle: That's great news.

It felt like a hollow victory. I wasn't ready to leave. When I was training, it consumed my life. I was solely focused on my diet, training, and race times. In my free time, I watched video of my races and critiqued every tiny detail, always looking for ways to improve my time. I wasn't sure I was ready to go back to that.

I was enjoying living in my hometown with my family. But what would I do here? I had to work, didn't I? My career was far from over. If I was lucky, I had at least a few more years before my speed slowed down.

I should be focused on getting back on top, how my return to the sport was being handled by the press, but I didn't care. I wanted to hide in Telluride for a while longer.

Here, no one was asking me when I thought I'd return to the sport, if I'd perform at the same level as I had before. There was no pressure.

In the therapy office, I immediately went back to work with Rick. We understood each other. He knew I liked to push myself to the limit, and he kept me from overdoing it.

Rick waited for me to get on the table, where he had me lay back so he could massage the area around my knee and stretch my leg. "What did Lincoln say?"

"You know Lincoln; he won’t say for sure, but I’m hoping it will be soon," I said, knowing I should be infusing those words with excitement, but I couldn't muster any.

"You must be excited to get back on the slopes," he said as he worked the muscles around my knee cap.

"I'm kind of enjoying the time off."

He glanced at me, surprise in his gaze. "That's different than what you said when you first came into my office. You wanted back on the slopes ASAP."

"Things change. It was nice to take some time off and hang out with my family. Get to know Dakota and Joey."

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