Page 63 of Fire and Ice
She moved closer, sat in the chair beside his bed, and scooted it so that her knees touched the mattress. She took his hand in hers, and he squeezed it tight. His was warm and dry. “I was so scared for you,” she whispered.
“You were what kept me going.” He smiled gently. “All I could think about was coming home to you.”
Her belly twisted as tears rolled down her cheeks. All she could think about was running away.
20
Grady studied Chelsea as she sat across from him at the dinner table in her home. Because his home was uninhabitable and he wasn’t mobile, she insisted he stay with her until he got his casts off. She’d been determined and refused to take no for an answer.
When he was in the hospital, his parents and most of his brothers and sisters swooped down on them. Chelsea had met all who came, and it had been clear they absolutely loved her, and she felt the same way about them.
The last month had been more than pleasant with Chelsea, but he knew something wasn’t right. He hadn’t pushed her, but it was about damned time she told him what was bothering her so much. His gut churned. What if she had decided against having a relationship with him?
He leaned forward, both forearms on the table since he’d been able to take off his sling after two weeks.
His heart ached at the haunted expression in her eyes. “Something is wrong.” She hadn’t been her talkative, happy, normal self since before the accident. He tried to be gentle as he spoke. “You’ve done a great job at keeping up a front and telling me you’re fine, but that’s not the truth. Is it?”
She stared at the eggplant parmesan, fork in her hand. When she raised her head, tears glittered in her eyes. He hadn’t seen her cry once. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.
“Honey—” A burst of frustration made his entire body ache to break out of his casts like the fucking Hulk. He wanted to get up and go to her. He needed to hug her and reassure her that everything would be fine. “If I could go to you and hold you, I would right now.”
He ground his teeth. Of course, that wasn’t possible with him being trapped in the damned wheelchair, both legs in casts.
A tear rolled down her cheek, and he thought he was going to die slowly, seeing her in so much pain.
The urge to throw something out of sheer frustration and helplessness was almost uncontrollable. He had never felt more helpless in all his life as he did at that moment.
“Please, sweetheart.” He set his fork down on the plate of eggplant parmesan. “Just talk to me.”
She cleared her throat. “It’s everything. So much. Too much.”
He dragged his hand down his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here. It’s too much to ask you to play nursemaid.”
“That’s not it.” She shook her head. “I have a couple of issues—hang-ups.”
He frowned. “Tell me. Whatever it is, I need to know.”
She took a deep breath and let it out. “I told you about my deceased husband, but I never gave you the details about George’s death.”
Grady shook his head. “I didn’t want to pry because I figured you’d tell me more when you were ready.”
“Thank you.” Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep sigh. “George worked out of state four days a week as a miner. One day, I got a call that the mineshaft he and his team had been working in had collapsed. Every one of the men died—all twenty-one of them.”
“Damn.” Grady wanted to go to her so badly that he felt like he would explode.
She looked away. “After his death, I promised myself I would never get involved again with someone in a dangerous profession.”
“And then you met me.” A hard note was in his voice. “You told me how you felt about it, and now this.”
She looked back at him and gave a sad smile. “I decided I wouldn’t let fear guide my life.” Her words sounded choked as she continued. “When I saw your home on fire, and then heard you’d been hurt…”
“It was like your husband’s death all over again,” Grady added quietly. “I’m sorry, Chelsea.”
“I don’t know if I can do it again.” Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. “I don’t know if I can give my heart and soul completely, because I’ll always have the fear that something could go wrong at any time.”
“I have a better chance of being in a plane crash than being killed on the job.” Grady tried to lighten it up. “I’ve had my once-in-a-lifetime close brush with the great fire god.”
“Don’t joke.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but this is too serious.”
