Awakened in August (Spring River Valley Book 8) by Clarice Wynter Page B

like the skeletal remains of a ski boot.
    Sympathy battled with annoyance. He looked as frustrated and uncomfortable as his father had hinted, and he also looked utterly shocked to see her. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
    “Ha ha. Yes. Actually. But I’ve been ordered by Tyler Brady to enjoy the last of my down time for the rest of my life. I get to do absolutely nothing for six weeks.”
    “That will kill you.”
    He nodded. “Probably.”
    Silence descended , and they stared at each other. Lydia watched his expression morph from surprise to something softer.
    “Not seeing you would kill me faster.”
    “That’s sweet.”
    “I’m serious.” He gestured to his immobile leg. “I don’t expect you to believe me, now that I don’t have any choice in the matter. But I was planning to make some changes. I was coming to ask you if you’d give me one more chance.”
    Lydia’s pulse quickened, but her gaze tracked to the cell phone lying on the bedside table. Riley followed her eyes.
    “It’s shut off. I’m not allowed to use it in here.”
    “One more chance to do what?”
    “Make room for something that’s been missing in my life for a long time.”
    She wanted to give him that chance, but could she stand it if it didn’t work out yet again? “What if I throw everything out of balance?”
    “My balance is pretty much shot as it is.”
    She laughed. “So you’re stuck here for six weeks?”
    “I can go home tomorrow, but I can’t walk or drive or do anything remotely…strenuous until the cast comes off. Then rehab.”
    She rolled her eyes. “A man who’s forced to stay in bed could be interesting, but if you can’t do anything strenuous I don’t see how…”
    “I know. I know. I’m useless to you.”
    She cocked a brow. “I could find ways to make use of you.”
    “I feel better already.” He held out his hand. “Lydia, this…isn’t going to be easy for me. Even if I wasn’t laid up. Especially if I wasn’t, but I’m not kidding around. I have no right to ask you, but I want you in my life. Can we give it a shot?”
    She thought of Mr. Thayer. His words were proof that she was on Riley’s mind as much as he’d been on hers. She approached the bed and eased herself down to sit on the edge of the mattress, careful not to disturb his injured leg. “A captive audience for my potions and my hippy skippy brainwashing...” She leaned in close, felt his muscles tense as his arms came around her. “What girl could resist?” Closing the scant gap between them, she kissed him, uncertain if she was making a mistake or not, but determined not to let whatever they had together go without a fight.
     

Chapter Fourteen
     
     
    “What do you think you’re doing?” Lydia charged through Riley’s apartment to confront him where he stood at the kitchen counter. She’d just let herself in, a pile of mail in one hand and a satchel full of paperwork from his office in the other. “You’re not supposed to be standing without your crutches.”
    “It’s just for a second. I was making you a sandwich.” He held up a hand in surrender, then pivoted with practiced grace and hobbled back to one of the kitchen chairs. He wore a less bulky cast now but still had limited range of movement.
    “If you can make a sandwich in a second, you should be a short-order cook, not a lawyer.” She snatched the aluminum crutches out of his reach and handed him the bag and the mail. A morning running errands in the late summer heat had left her drained of energy but oddly content. It felt good to be zipping around town in the thick of things. As much as she valued the solitude and quiet up in Red Fork, she realized she’d forgotten how much fun a full schedule could be.
    “Now that you mention it, I’ve been thinking about ditching litigation and opening up a lunch café for lawyers. I could call it The Sandwich Bar… or how about Briefs?”
    She stared at him. “Really?”
    “Ugh. No. Of course not. Did you