A Knight for Nurse Hart by Laura Iding Page A

trying to move past what happened to me.”
    Instantly, Caleb’s face paled, his gaze stricken. “I’m sorry. I should have realized…”
    His self-recrimination wasn’t necessary. Being treated differently was part of the reason she’d chosen not to say anything to anyone. She lifted her chin. “I don’t want your pity, Caleb. I’ve been trying to move forward in my life. To focus on all the positive things I have to be grateful for, rather than dwelling on the negative.”
    He frowned a little and rubbed the back of his neck. “Pity is not at all what I’m feeling right now. I admire you. I think you’re amazing, Raine. Truly.”
    His sincere, earnest expression eased some of the tension in her stomach. “I’m not. Obviously, taking care of Helen proves I still have a long ways to go. But each day gets a little better. At least, it had been, until last night.”
    If anything, he paled more. “Because you told me? Telling me made it worse for you?”
    â€œNo,” she hastened to reassure him. “Because of Helen. I fainted , for heaven’s sake. I thought I was handling trauma fairly well, even though taking care of Becca had been really hard. We saved Greg Hanson, which helped immensely. I thought I’d gotten over the worst, but then Helen came in and I lost it.”
    â€œYou handled the stress all far better than anyone could expect.” He frowned a little. “I knew you’d taken a temporary position in the minor care area. This was the reason?”
    â€œYeah. I couldn’t take off work for more than a week and still pay my rent, so I asked Theresa, my boss, to put me in Minor Care. Just happened that one of thenurses was out on a medical leave so it was easy to cover her hours.”
    â€œI thought you were avoiding me,” he admitted.
    She lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug. “I was avoiding everyone, not just you.”
    He stared at her for several long seconds, the last few bites of his meal forgotten. “I feel so damned helpless,” he said in a low, agonized tone. “Is there something I can do? Anything?”
    She started to shake her head, but then stopped. She looked at Caleb, seated across the table from her, keeping his distance from the moment he’d discovered the truth, as if she were some sort of leper. They didn’t have the same relationship they’d once had, but certainly over these past few days they’d re-established their friendship. Hadn’t they?
    â€œActually, I could use a hug.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could call them back as they made her sound pathetic. Hadn’t she just told him she didn’t want his pity?
    â€œReally?” The flare of cautious hope in his eyes caught her off guard. He quickly rose to his feet and crossed over to her, holding out his hand in a silent invitation.
    Was she crazy? Maybe. Reaching out, she put her hand in his and allowed him to draw her to her feet. And then he slowly, carefully, as if she might break, drew her into his arms.
    Enticed by his solid warmth and gentle strength, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest, breathing deeply, as if she could neverget enough of his heady, comforting scent. She’d missed this so much! More than she would have thought possible.
    Maybe she’d made a mistake by not telling him. She’d avoided it because she’d known that the person he’d once been attracted to was gone for ever. She’d never be that free-spirited girl again. But she might have misjudged him. Caleb would have stood by her as a friend.
    She tightened her grip, silently telling him how much she appreciated this. And when his mouth lightly brushed against the top of her head, she sucked in a quick breath, stunned by a flash of desire.
    For a moment she closed her eyes, wishing desperately for the chance to go