Page 38 of In Hiding

Except, he’d done as promised and cared for William the last two weeks. How much did that count for?

With a deep breath, she pushed up to her feet. He held her hands firmly until she steadied herself. She expected him to fetch the crutches from the rear tray of the utility but instead, he stepped up to her side, draped her arm over his shoulders and wrapped his around her waist.

“I can manage,” she reminded him, catching a breath of his aftershave.

“I’m not trying to be heroic or anything.” He grinned. “But it’s quicker this way and you shouldn’t be out here in the cold.”

Sarah took a moment to assess her surroundings, to stare up into the canopy of the tall trees, listen to the wind as it rustled the leaves, and smell the scents of the forest she’d come to know well. Growing up in the city, she hadn’t cared much about the natural world, but since moving here, she’d come to rely on Mother Nature to calm and feed her soul.

“The fresh air is good for me.”

He shrugged and tugged her hard against his side. “Don’t you have a compromised immune system?”

Before she could answer, he moved. She had no option but to go with him, leaning on him to compensate for her weakened leg. The effort to keep up the slow pace stole her breath and burned her lungs. At the steps, she paused, unsure how they’d make it up them. Unperturbed, Jake climbed the first one, lifting her like she was nothing more than a pillow. When they reached the veranda, he turned to her with curious eyes.

Sarah nodded. Her thigh throbbed. “That’s why it’s so important for me to be exposed to the outdoors. Many don’t agree, I know, but keeping me cooped up in a glass house and cotton wool would only make it worse.”

His eyes narrowed in question. “How did you come to have no spleen, if I may ask?”

The answer to his question was long and not a story she wanted to tell. Sarah shook her head. “I lost it as a result of injury.”

It was clear he didn’t believe her, but he said nothing, resuming their awkward shuffle into the house. In the living room, he set her down in an armchair by the window as if she were made of porcelain. Lifting a blanket from the back of the couch, he shook it out and laid it over her legs.

“I’ll get your things. Please don’t get up. Dr. McQueen promised me that if I let you pop the stitches, she’d have my guts for garters.”

She had to chuckle. Stevie McQueen was not a woman who made idle threats. “Understood. I will wait here.”

“Thank you.” A look of relief passed through his eyes and his shoulders relaxed. Funny, she hadn’t noticed how tense he was until now. “Give me two minutes.”

He returned with her hospital bag and crutches. He set the walking aids against the wall beside her and then looked at the bag, uncertainty clouding his eyes.

“If you could take it up to my room, I’ll sort it out later.”

“You plan on sleeping upstairs?”

“That is where my room is.”

The indecision on his face almost made her laugh but she remained still, curious as to what he would say next. He stared at the bag again before sitting on the couch. With a shake of the head, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“You’re telling me you’ll get up and down those stairs on crutches? With all due respect, I think that’s insane. The going up won’t be too difficult, but the coming down poses a risk I cannot allow.”

“A risk you cannot allow?”

He wore apology better than anyone she’d ever seen. “No. I can’t. If you fell it would break your son’s heart. He’s been through enough.”

Smart move. If there was one way to get her to agree, it was to use her son. Touché, Mr. Langley. Smoothing the blanket over her legs, Sarah appraised him out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to have a good handle on her and William, but the jury was still out on whether it was a blessing or a curse.

“Fair enough,” she agreed. “There are guest rooms on this level that I can stay in until I’m well enough to navigate the stairs on my own.”

“You agree?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I just thought you’d argue some more, that’s all.”

“I would if I were in a position to argue, but you’re right about William. He doesn’t need me falling down the stairs to send him into a panic, again.”

Jake gaped at her. “His reaction was pretty raw, Sarah. He thought he’d killed you. It feels like he’s made it his job to protect you.”

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