on without you.”
She smiled up at him with her heart in her eyes. She drew the back of his big hand to her cheek and held it there. “I’m not going anywhere. Honest.”
He stood up, bending over her with his heart in his eyes. “I’ll hold you to that,” he whispered, and, bending, he touched his lips tenderly to her forehead.
She sighed with pure bliss.
He lifted his head, dropped his eyes to her mouth, and bent down to give her a real kiss that took her breath away. When the door opened and a young nurse came into the room, she noted how quickly the policeman stood up, and how flushed he and the patient looked.
“Uh-huh,” she murmured dryly. “I can see that I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you two!” she teased.
The tension broke and they both started laughing.
“He’s the one you have to watch,” Mary said with a possessive smile in Matt’s direction. “But not too closely, if you don’t mind,” she added with a wink at the pretty nurse. “I can’t stand the competition.”
“That’s what you think,” Matt drawled.
Mary sat up in bed. “Oh, my goodness,” she exclaimed. “Who’ll do my pickups and deliveries tonight? You can’t do it all, not even with the children helping.”
He held up a hand. “Already taken care of,” he said easily. “I phoned Bev and she phoned a few people. Tonight, even if you could get out of that bed, you’d be superfluous. So you just concentrate on getting your strength back. Okay?”
Mary felt as if she had a new lease on life, as if tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come would be worth waking up for. The look in Matt’s eyes made her tingle like an adolescent with her first crush.
He seemed to understand how she felt, because his eyes darkened and a faint ruddy flush darkened the skin on his high cheekbones.
“I really have to go,” he bit off.
Mary was watching him hungrily while the nurse checkedher blood pressure, and then her temperature, with her high-tech arsenal of diagnostic tools.
“You’ll be back tonight, with the kids?” Mary added.
He nodded, and smiled. “Around seven.”
“I’ll expect you,” Mary said huskily. “I’m going to phone Tammy and thank her.”
“Good idea.” He winked again. “Stay out of trouble.”
“Look who’s talking!” Mary exclaimed, and smiled back at him.
“See you.” He went out with a quick wave of his hand. Mary stared after him until the door closed.
“Handsome guy,” the nurse murmured dryly. “I gather he’s spoken for?” she asked.
“Oh, yes, indeed, he is,” Mary replied with a becoming blush.
“No wonder you’re improving so much,” the nurse laughed. “If you need me, just buzz. You’re doing great.”
“Thanks,” she said.
The nurse smiled and went to her next patient down the hall.
Her family doctor, Mack Barker, stopped by just at suppertime to check her over. He dropped into a chair by her bedside after he’d checked her chart and taken her vitals himself.
“I suppose you know now that you can’t go on burning thecandle at both ends,” he told her. “You were pushing yourself too hard. Something had to give.”
“I suppose I just went on from day to day without thinking about how much stress I was under,” she had to admit.
“You’re going to have to learn how to delegate more,” he warned her. “Or this may not be the last trip you make to the hospital.”
She drew in a lazy breath. “It’s just that I’ve got three kids to look after, and now I’m doing this food rescue program…”
“Which is a very worthwhile thing,” the doctor admitted. “But if you don’t slow down, somebody else is going to be doing it instead of you. Or maybe nobody else will be able to do it at all, and it will fold. Either way, you’re going to destroy your health if you don’t find a way to curtail your work. I’m sorry. I know how much it means to you. But you can’t possibly keep it up any longer.”
“I can’t give up what I do at
She smiled up at him with her heart in her eyes. She drew the back of his big hand to her cheek and held it there. “I’m not going anywhere. Honest.”
He stood up, bending over her with his heart in his eyes. “I’ll hold you to that,” he whispered, and, bending, he touched his lips tenderly to her forehead.
She sighed with pure bliss.
He lifted his head, dropped his eyes to her mouth, and bent down to give her a real kiss that took her breath away. When the door opened and a young nurse came into the room, she noted how quickly the policeman stood up, and how flushed he and the patient looked.
“Uh-huh,” she murmured dryly. “I can see that I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you two!” she teased.
The tension broke and they both started laughing.
“He’s the one you have to watch,” Mary said with a possessive smile in Matt’s direction. “But not too closely, if you don’t mind,” she added with a wink at the pretty nurse. “I can’t stand the competition.”
“That’s what you think,” Matt drawled.
Mary sat up in bed. “Oh, my goodness,” she exclaimed. “Who’ll do my pickups and deliveries tonight? You can’t do it all, not even with the children helping.”
He held up a hand. “Already taken care of,” he said easily. “I phoned Bev and she phoned a few people. Tonight, even if you could get out of that bed, you’d be superfluous. So you just concentrate on getting your strength back. Okay?”
Mary felt as if she had a new lease on life, as if tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come would be worth waking up for. The look in Matt’s eyes made her tingle like an adolescent with her first crush.
He seemed to understand how she felt, because his eyes darkened and a faint ruddy flush darkened the skin on his high cheekbones.
“I really have to go,” he bit off.
Mary was watching him hungrily while the nurse checkedher blood pressure, and then her temperature, with her high-tech arsenal of diagnostic tools.
“You’ll be back tonight, with the kids?” Mary added.
He nodded, and smiled. “Around seven.”
“I’ll expect you,” Mary said huskily. “I’m going to phone Tammy and thank her.”
“Good idea.” He winked again. “Stay out of trouble.”
“Look who’s talking!” Mary exclaimed, and smiled back at him.
“See you.” He went out with a quick wave of his hand. Mary stared after him until the door closed.
“Handsome guy,” the nurse murmured dryly. “I gather he’s spoken for?” she asked.
“Oh, yes, indeed, he is,” Mary replied with a becoming blush.
“No wonder you’re improving so much,” the nurse laughed. “If you need me, just buzz. You’re doing great.”
“Thanks,” she said.
The nurse smiled and went to her next patient down the hall.
Her family doctor, Mack Barker, stopped by just at suppertime to check her over. He dropped into a chair by her bedside after he’d checked her chart and taken her vitals himself.
“I suppose you know now that you can’t go on burning thecandle at both ends,” he told her. “You were pushing yourself too hard. Something had to give.”
“I suppose I just went on from day to day without thinking about how much stress I was under,” she had to admit.
“You’re going to have to learn how to delegate more,” he warned her. “Or this may not be the last trip you make to the hospital.”
She drew in a lazy breath. “It’s just that I’ve got three kids to look after, and now I’m doing this food rescue program…”
“Which is a very worthwhile thing,” the doctor admitted. “But if you don’t slow down, somebody else is going to be doing it instead of you. Or maybe nobody else will be able to do it at all, and it will fold. Either way, you’re going to destroy your health if you don’t find a way to curtail your work. I’m sorry. I know how much it means to you. But you can’t possibly keep it up any longer.”
“I can’t give up what I do at
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