Page 7 of Cherished By the Fearless Mountain Man

“I’m trying.”I clear my throat.“Going crazy sitting here, but I’m trying.”

“I know it’s hard.What do you usually do when you’re not at the lumber yard?You could do more of that now that you’re unable to work.”

I shrug.“I usually work.”

She laughs.“Okay, what else?There must be something you like to do for fun.”

Yeah, you.

I swallow.“Fish.Hunt.Hike.Fix things around the cabin.”I pause.“I’m not good at sitting still.”

“I can tell.”She applies the new bandage with careful precision.“So, what got you into logging?You seem passionate about it.”

“My dad.He ran the business before us.Taught Archer and me everything we know.There’s something magical about working with your hands and creating something useful from raw timber.”

She tapes down the edges of the bandage and smiles.“I feel the same way about my job.There’s something extremely satisfying about helping people heal and seeing them get better.”

“Is that why you became a home nurse?The helping people part?”

She sits back, pulling off her gloves.“Partly.But mostly because I love the connection.In hospitals, you’re one of dozens of nurses.Patients become room numbers.This way, I get to know people.Like you.”

The way she sayslike yousends goosebumps all over my body.

“All done,” she says, but she doesn’t move away.“Now, about those cupcakes.I may have gone a little overboard.The lady at the bakery said she knew you, and she insisted I take extra.”

“You told her they were for me?”

“I told her I was the new home nurse and wanted to bring something nice to a patient who had a chainsaw accident.She did the math.Small towns, right?I think she was hoping I’d spill some gossip about how you’re recovering.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That patient confidentiality is a real thing, even in small towns.”

I nod, impressed.“Good answer.”

“So, coffee and cupcakes?I promise I make better coffee than whatever you’ve been drinking.”

I should say no.My siblings already brought me coffee.And I should stick to the professional relationship Willa and I have and not blur the lines.But the way she’s looking at me, hopeful I’ll say yes and a little shy at the same time, makes it impossible.She’s hard to resist, that’s for sure.

“Yeah,” I finally say.“I’d like that.”

She grins and gets up.“Excellent.”

As I watch her move around my kitchen like she belongs there, humming softly to herself, I realize I’m in deep trouble.Because this isn’t just attraction anymore.This is something else entirely.

And I have no idea what to do about it.

Chapter Four

Willa

It’s been a week since Doctor Willis reduced Brock’s visits to every other day, and I should be thrilled.Really, I should.A patient healing ahead of schedule is exactly what every nurse wants to see.It means I’m doing my job well, the treatment is working, and he’s going to make a full recovery without complications.

So why do I feel disappointed every time I look at my schedule and see that gap where his name used to be?

The logical part of my brain knows this is normal.Standard protocol.When a wound is healing well and showing no signs of infection, there’s no reason for daily check-ins.But the not-so-logical part of my brain misses our daily coffee talks.Misses the way he’s started to open up, telling me stories about his personal life, and getting less and less grumpy with every passing day.I miss the way his whole face changes when I manage to make him smile.God, I even know which flavor of cupcakes he prefers and always make sure to bring one, just so I can see him smile.

I also know that’s exactly the kind of thinking that could get me in trouble.

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