on the same page, now would be a very good time to ask for anything you want.”
“How about a divorce?” she asked with a teasing smile.
Stung, he eased her off his lap and got up.
“Ryan . . . ”
He kept his back to her. “I’m going to take a walk.”
She got up and went to him. Resting her hands on his chest, she said, “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair in light of what I was
doing—”
He stopped her with a finger to her lips. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“You wanted some time to yourself, and I could use a minute, too.”
“Ry?”
He turned to her on his way out the door.
“I really am sorry.”
With a curt nod, he closed the door behind him.
She realized after he left that he had forgotten his hat.
Chapter 9
HE WAS GONE A LONG TIME. SUSANNAH MADE SOUP AND grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, but he didn’t come back, and she couldn’t
eat until he did. During his absence, snow began to fall softly at first and then more steadily. As she put several logs on
the fire, she worried he had fallen or reinjured his ribs or worse.
The afternoon had grown dark, and she was pacing in front of the fire by the time he finally came in, his hair white with
snow and his face red from the cold. He carried a soggy newspaper.
Susannah flew across the room and leaped into his arms.
He hissed from the pain of impact but scooped her up anyway.
“I’m sorry. I was mean, and I hate myself for hurting you.”
“Be quiet, darlin’, and kiss me, will ya?”
His lips were cold and demanding, but the kiss was hot, so hot that Susannah melted into him, oblivious to the snow dripping
all over both of them. He eased her back down without losing the kiss.
She pushed his coat off his shoulders, and it fell into a wet lump on the floor. Pulling back from him, she led him to the
hearth in front of the fireplace and urged him down.
“You’re so cold. Why did you stay out there for so long?”
“I went into town to get the paper.”
Her mouth fell open. “You walked four miles to get a paper? Are you out of your mind? You shouldn’t be doing that! You have
a perfectly good car sitting out there.”
“I needed the exercise. All this lying around is turning me into a noodle.”
She pulled off his boots and rubbed his feet through his socks. “Are your ribs okay? Do they hurt?”
“They weren’t hurting until you launched yourself into them,” he said, but there was amusement, not reproach, in his tone.
He toyed with her hair. “I like this concerned Susie. I’ll have to get you worried about me more often.”
“All I ever did was worry about you.”
He took her hands to stop her from rubbing his feet.
“You’ve never told me that before.”
She shrugged. “You’re forever climbing something, scaling something, flying something, testing your limits.
It’s bad enough you let three-hundred-pound men crash into you for a living.” She shuddered. “The other stuff was unbearable.
I spent a lot of time waiting to hear you were paralyzed or dead.”
“Why didn’t you ask me to stop?”
“Because that would be like asking you to stop breathing. It’s who you are. I couldn’t ask you to be someone you weren’t.”
“You’re very silly, do you know that?” She huffed with indignation. “Why does that make me silly?” “Because all you had to
do was tell me it bothered you, and I would’ve stopped.” He kissed her hands. “The team hates my extracurricular activities as much as you do. I’ve gotten in trouble with Chet more times than I can count,” he said, referring to the team’s
owner. “He says ‘insurance doesn’t pay for stupidity.’ If I’ve heard that once, I’ve heard it a thousand times.”
“He’s right, but of course you know that.”
He shrugged. “You only live once.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you hungry? I made lunch a while ago. I could heat it up for you.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
She
“How about a divorce?” she asked with a teasing smile.
Stung, he eased her off his lap and got up.
“Ryan . . . ”
He kept his back to her. “I’m going to take a walk.”
She got up and went to him. Resting her hands on his chest, she said, “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair in light of what I was
doing—”
He stopped her with a finger to her lips. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“You wanted some time to yourself, and I could use a minute, too.”
“Ry?”
He turned to her on his way out the door.
“I really am sorry.”
With a curt nod, he closed the door behind him.
She realized after he left that he had forgotten his hat.
Chapter 9
HE WAS GONE A LONG TIME. SUSANNAH MADE SOUP AND grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, but he didn’t come back, and she couldn’t
eat until he did. During his absence, snow began to fall softly at first and then more steadily. As she put several logs on
the fire, she worried he had fallen or reinjured his ribs or worse.
The afternoon had grown dark, and she was pacing in front of the fire by the time he finally came in, his hair white with
snow and his face red from the cold. He carried a soggy newspaper.
Susannah flew across the room and leaped into his arms.
He hissed from the pain of impact but scooped her up anyway.
“I’m sorry. I was mean, and I hate myself for hurting you.”
“Be quiet, darlin’, and kiss me, will ya?”
His lips were cold and demanding, but the kiss was hot, so hot that Susannah melted into him, oblivious to the snow dripping
all over both of them. He eased her back down without losing the kiss.
She pushed his coat off his shoulders, and it fell into a wet lump on the floor. Pulling back from him, she led him to the
hearth in front of the fireplace and urged him down.
“You’re so cold. Why did you stay out there for so long?”
“I went into town to get the paper.”
Her mouth fell open. “You walked four miles to get a paper? Are you out of your mind? You shouldn’t be doing that! You have
a perfectly good car sitting out there.”
“I needed the exercise. All this lying around is turning me into a noodle.”
She pulled off his boots and rubbed his feet through his socks. “Are your ribs okay? Do they hurt?”
“They weren’t hurting until you launched yourself into them,” he said, but there was amusement, not reproach, in his tone.
He toyed with her hair. “I like this concerned Susie. I’ll have to get you worried about me more often.”
“All I ever did was worry about you.”
He took her hands to stop her from rubbing his feet.
“You’ve never told me that before.”
She shrugged. “You’re forever climbing something, scaling something, flying something, testing your limits.
It’s bad enough you let three-hundred-pound men crash into you for a living.” She shuddered. “The other stuff was unbearable.
I spent a lot of time waiting to hear you were paralyzed or dead.”
“Why didn’t you ask me to stop?”
“Because that would be like asking you to stop breathing. It’s who you are. I couldn’t ask you to be someone you weren’t.”
“You’re very silly, do you know that?” She huffed with indignation. “Why does that make me silly?” “Because all you had to
do was tell me it bothered you, and I would’ve stopped.” He kissed her hands. “The team hates my extracurricular activities as much as you do. I’ve gotten in trouble with Chet more times than I can count,” he said, referring to the team’s
owner. “He says ‘insurance doesn’t pay for stupidity.’ If I’ve heard that once, I’ve heard it a thousand times.”
“He’s right, but of course you know that.”
He shrugged. “You only live once.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you hungry? I made lunch a while ago. I could heat it up for you.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
She
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