Page 49 of Rainshadow Road

“Damn it,” he said softly. “How did it happen?”

Justine explained in a flurry of words, while he listened without comment. “… so she can’t moveat allfor a few days,” she finished. “And even though Lucy doesn’t weigh much, Zoë and I can’t carry her around.”

“I’ll help,” Sam said at once.

Justine let out a deep sigh. “Thank God. I adore you. I knew you’d have enough room at your house, and Zoë and I have the wedding from hell at the inn this weekend. We won’t have one spare second, and there’s just no way we could—”

“Wait,” Sam interrupted brusquely. “I can’t take Lucy to my house.”

Justine clamped her hands on her hips and gave him an exasperated glance. “You just said you’d help.”

“Yes,help.She can’t stay with me.”

“Why not?”

The strength of his objection had left Sam temporarily mute. He had never let a woman spend the night at his place. And heespeciallydidn’t want Lucy in his house. Especially not wounded and needing him. He had gone tense all over, a mist of sweat covering his skin.

“Why can’t someone else do it?” he asked tersely. “What about her parents?”

“They live in Pasadena.”

“Doesn’t she have other friends?”

“Yes, but not on the island. With the exception of Zoë and me, she lost the friends she made with Kevin. They didn’t want to piss him off by taking her side.” With exaggerated patience, Justine asked, “What exactly is the problem, Sam?”

“I barely know her,” he protested.

“You like her. You rushed right over here when I called.”

“I don’t know Lucy well enough to help her in and out of bed, carry her to the shower, change the bandages, all that stuff.”

“What, you’re all prudish now? Come off it, Sam. You’ve been with a lot of women. Nothing you haven’t seen before.”

“It’s not that.” Sam paced across the empty waiting room, raking a hand through his hair. How could he explain the profound danger of intimacy with Lucy? That the problem was how much he actually wanted to take care of her? He didn’t trust himself with her. He would end up having sex with her, taking advantage of her, hurting her.

He stopped pacing and glowered at Justine. “Look,” he said through gritted teeth. “I don’t want to get close to her. I don’t want her to depend on me.”

Justine gave him a narrow-eyed glance that should have slayed him on the spot. “Are you reallythatscrewed up, Sam?”

“Of course I am,” he snapped. “Have I ever pretended to be normal?”

Justine made a sound of disgust. “You know what? I’m sorry I asked. My mistake.”

Sam scowled as she turned away. “What are you going to do?”

“Don’t worry about it. Not your problem.”

“Who are you calling?” he insisted.

“Duane. He and his friends will take care of her.”

Sam’s mouth fell open. “You’re going to give a wounded woman on medication toa biker gang?”

“They’re good guys. They have their own church.”

Instant fury sent hot blood to his face. “Having your own church doesn’t make you a good guy. It only makes you tax-exempt.”

“Don’t shout at me.”

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