Wise Moves by Mary Burton Page A

her that he’d been overseas on a recon mission, that there’d been an explosion and he’d taken shrapnel. But that was more information than he wanted to disclose. The less said the better. “Fell off a ladder while I was painting a house. Busted myself up pretty good. Could you show me a few stretches to ease the pain? I hear yoga is good for that kind of stuff.”
    She looked surprised by the request. “Sheridan says a lot of pain in our backs and legs comes from tight hips.”
    That was a new one for him. But if talking yoga erased the troubled look from her eyes, he’d do it. “Tight hips? Think you could help me out?”
    “Sitting cross-legged will help open up the joints.”
    “There’s got to be something else.”
    She sighed. “There are a few stretches she showed me.”
    He winked at her. “I guess you could show ’em to me, but then you’ve only been at this yoga thing a couple of weeks.”
    Challenge flashed in her eyes. “I’ve learned a few things. Come into the studio and I will show you a couple of stretches.”
    He could just picture himself now trying to twist into a yoga pose. “You’re the boss.”
    She moved into the studio and, avoiding the large florescent overhead lights, turned on the soft wall sconces. Kristen stopped him before he could enter the room. “Take your shoes off.”
    “Why?”
    “No shoes in the studio.”
    He glanced down at his scuffed work boots. “Right.” Bending down, he undid the double knots in his laces and slipped off his boots. He set them outside the studio door and followed her inside.
    Kristen went to the corner to the stack of unrolled mats and chose two along with a couple of blankets. She unrolled the mats and positioned them side by side.
    “Come on over here and have a seat on the mat.” To demonstrate she sat down with her feet sticking straight out. Her straight spine and legs made a perfect L. “This is called the staff pose.”
    Cambia felt like a fool but now was not the time to argue with her. So, he sat beside her and positioned himself like her.
    To his surprise, the muscles in the backs of his legs and lower back were very tight. Stress was no doubt the culprit.
    Kristen rose and came up behind him. She put her hand on the small of his back and with gentle pressure drew her hand up his spine, which forced him to sit an inch or two higher. “There you go.”
    Her soothing and calm voice coupled with her touch would have had him hardening if not for the discomfort in his back.
    “Your shoulder blades are very stiff,” she said.
    He shoved out a breath. “Yep.”
    She chuckled. “That will ease when I show you how to stretch.”
    “You mean I’m not stretching yet?” Pride had him holding the position as she knelt behind him. He could run ten miles with a twenty-pound pack on his back, so he could damn well handle a few yoga poses.
    As she adjusted his shoulders back, her breasts brushed against him. Why the hell had he agreed to this?
    “This is a hard position to hold, especially if you have tight hamstrings. How far do you run?” she said.
    “Five to ten miles a day when I can.”
    “Hopefully not on pavement.” She took hold of his head and pulled up.
    “Most of the time.”
    “The concrete will tear up your back. Stay to the dirt paths—as close to the earth as you can manage.”
    Her knowledge of physiology surprised him. “So when did you learn all this?”
    “Sheridan. She’s been teaching me a lot.”
    “You like it here, then?”
    “Yes.”
    He might not have found her so quickly if she hadn’t stayed here so long.
    “Now, lean forward and touch your hands toward your knees,” she said.
    He did as she asked, swallowing a groan as his hamstrings pulled. “Damn.”
    “Does it hurt?”
    “Yep.”
    “Then back off. It should never hurt.”
    Despite his discomfort, he held his position. “I’m not good at backing off.”
    She placed her callused hands over his as she tried to pull them back several