Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) (30 page)

“I’m sure. Everything’s under control. In case you’re wondering, Taylor said the dog is being taken care of by a rescue house, and he’ll be okay. He didn’t want you to worry about it.”

“Oh, good.” She tried to gather her thoughts, but the sight of Aiden kneeling down in front of her to slip her discarded shoes onto her feet made her heart skip a beat. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and tell him she’d thought of nothing but him since the moment the whole incident had happened. How could she confess that she’d worried more about disappointing him than about her own injury?

How could she admit that whatever physical discomfort she’d been in had disappeared the moment she saw his face? She took a deep breath. Maybe if she just told him the truth, that her feelings for him were a little more complicated than they’d planned—maybe…

No. She remembered the strange tone in his voice when he’d called earlier. And now, the tight smile on his face made her wonder what he was really thinking. Did he feel obligated to take care of her? He helped her off the bed and wrapped one arm around her waist to steady her for a second.

“Aiden…I just want you to know—”

Audrey breezed into the room just then, a sheaf of papers in her hand and a bag of medical supplies. “That went faster than usual, so you’re all set. Here are your instructions.” She handed Sam the papers and explained how to use the supply of bandages and disinfectant to change the dressing on her wound twice a day for a week. “You need to call the surgeon who will take a look at your arm and determine how to minimize the scar. And you need to pick up more antibiotics at the pharmacy. Here’s the prescription. Start these tomorrow morning and take all of them.” She spoke to Aiden next. “Someone should stay with her at least for tonight. In the bag are two more doses of painkiller. The surgeon will prescribe more if you need them. Get some sleep, and don’t lift anything with that arm.”

Sam raised a brow, but Aiden seemed to take the instructions in stride. Next the nurse helped Sam put her arm in a sling so she wouldn’t be tempted to use it and put a strain on her stitches. She flagged down an orderly who appeared with a wheelchair to escort Sam out, and she sent Aiden off to bring his car up to the ER doors to pick her up. “He’s really cute,” she said to Sam as they approached the door. “How long have you two been together?”

Sam had no idea what to say. The truth hurt, but a breezy lie would only weigh on her conscience. “We’re not…a couple. We’re just friends.”

Audrey seemed shocked by her answer. A knowing smile grew on her lips, but she hid it carefully as Aiden’s car pulled up to the curb where they waited. “Hmm. Well, you may not be a couple…but trust me, the two of you aren’t ‘just’ anything.”

“Barkley misses you.” Bailey’s teasing words held just a hint of the question which Aiden preferred to ignore. For a week he’d been relying on his sister to take care of Barkley, only because he was spending most of his time at Samantha’s apartment. Even though she’d assured him numerous times that she wasn’t afraid of the Golden Retriever or of any dog despite her injury, he didn’t want to impose on her quiet haven.

Her arm was healing, and she was starting to get bored hanging around at home, since Taylor had given her two weeks off. She wanted to go back to work, but her boss wouldn’t hear of it yet, and Aiden preferred it that way for now. While she pretended to be feeling much better, he noticed her pinched expression now and then when she had to use her left arm. He worried about her constantly, and Bailey had begun to pick up on that.

“I’ll come by in the morning and pick him up. I’ve got to go back to my place and do some cleaning up, then I’ll take him to the park.”

“How’s Samantha? Is she enjoying all this attention?” Again, it was clear Bailey was asking much more than innocent questions. What she really wanted to know was if their relationship had officially progressed beyond the friends-with-benefits stage now that they’d practically lived together for a week.

“I think she’s getting tired of me hovering. But I can tell she’s still in pain.”

“Well, I don’t mind helping out too. I can bring over dinner; that way maybe I can get to know the girl who finally domesticated my big brother.”

Aiden made a disparaging sound. “How come you sound so much like Mom? I’m not domesticated. I’m helping out a friend. I’d do the same for one of the guys.”

“So you’re sleeping on her couch, then?”

“Bailey.”

“What? What’s going on here goes a bit beyond friendship. And don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great. It’s about time.”

“It’s not about anything. I’m just trying to help. Tell Barkley I’ll pick him up in the morning. Maybe I’ll bring him over here after the park. Sam wants to see him.”

“Okay, fine. I get the message.”

“And what message is that?”

“That I should butt out. I will, for now, but be careful. It’s pretty obvious things are different than you planned them. Don’t let this get screwed up.”

Aiden had a long-winded response planned, but Sam walked into the kitchen then, adjusting the sling she’d been wearing and complaining bitterly about for the past week. “I won’t. Gotta go,” he finished cryptically before hanging up. He shoved his cell phone into his pocket and crossed the room to where Samantha was rummaging in the cabinet.

“Hey, Bailey says hi.”

She smiled a bit wanly. “Hi back. When am I going to get to hang out with her? With all the food she’s sent over, we should invite her to dinner one night.”

“Soon. She’s pretty busy these days. I told her I’d pick Barkley up tomorrow. Maybe I could bring him here for a bit.”

Sam brightened. “I’d love that. Why can’t we go get him now? I need a distraction.”

“You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”

“If I take it any easier, I’ll be comatose.” She planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “I appreciate all this, but my arm is still attached.”

“I know. I just…want to help.”

“Well, then go to your class. You’ve been running late for your job all week because of me, and I feel bad. Go. I’ll be fine. I’m going to have some yogurt and watch a movie.”

“I can hang around if you need me. I have a sub for my class on standby.”

Sam met his gaze head on. “Aiden, I’m fine. Go to work.”

“Am I smothering you?” He raised a brow, meaning the question as a joke, though he was mildly worried about her answer.

“Yes!” She laughed as she circled around behind him and prodded him toward the kitchen door with her good hand. “Go. I’ll be okay by myself for a few hours. And when you come back, you’d better have Barkley with you.”

Aiden rolled his eyes. “All right, but be warned, he’s going to be hyper.”

“That’s okay. I can use some hyper. I’m bored.”

“Then let’s do something fun. We can—”

She stamped her foot. “Go to work. I mean it.” She steered him toward the door and opened it for him. The sparkle in her eye gave him some hope that maybe she was feeling better.

He held up his hands in surrender. “All right. I’m going. But if you need anything…”

“I’ll call you. Good-bye.”

He left the apartment, grateful actually for the distraction. He’d thought of little else but Sam for a week, and Bailey’s words echoed in his head as he made his way to his car and started off for the Recreation Center.
Don’t screw this up.

He would have died before admitting it to his sister, but this week with Samantha had changed everything. He’d never wanted to be with someone twenty-four seven, never wanted to be responsible for someone else, other than Barkley, of course. And here he was taking care of another person and finding out it wasn’t the emotional burden he’d always convinced himself it would be. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel the familiar choke hold that inevitably took over when a relationship went past the fun-and-games stage. This felt right, normal.

He wanted to tell her, but he was sure he’d lose her if he did.
Don’t let this get screwed up
, Bailey had said. Unfortunately, he feared it already had.

*

Sam let out a long, slow breath as soon as Aiden’s car pulled away. She sank into a kitchen chair and hung her head while she massaged the tight muscles of her injured arm. The pain of the wound had subsided to a dull but constant ache, nothing she couldn’t cope with, but the pain in the middle of her chest was far worse.

Every time she looked at Aiden
, she felt it. The hammer thud of her heart set off a twinge between her lungs that made it hard to breathe. He’d been amazing this week, driving her to see the surgeon, helping her with grocery shopping and cooking, and even helping her shower and dress. She might have been self-conscious about that, but every intimate thing with him seemed perfectly natural.

She had to admit, it had been blissful. Waking up to him each morning, falling asleep with him at night, knowing he was there if she needed anything made her feel completely cherished.

But she had to keep reminding herself they were only friends. Their arrangement wasn’t permanent. As much as he’d proven he’d make a wonderful husband and partner, he’d made it clear from the beginning that he had no room in his life for commitment. A few days of service to someone in need was all this was. Just as she’d overheard him telling his sister, he’d do the same for any one of his friends. Sam had no business thinking his doting attention this week was anything more than his desire to help her recover.

That was why she’d practically kicked him out tonight. Not because she particularly wanted to be alone, but because she needed to remember what it felt like not having him around. She had to get used to that and let him go.

The bottom line was, she and Aiden were nothing more than friends with benefits. It didn’t matter that she’d fallen in love with him. She wasn’t what he wanted, and he could never be what she needed.

She had to end their arrangement before she did something stupid like tell him she loved him.

To Aiden’s surprise, Barkley had behaved perfectly around Sam. The dog had greeted her happily when Aiden brought him to her apartment, but he hadn’t tried to jump up the way he greeted Aiden, and he hadn’t raced around the apartment like he often did in a new environment.

After a quiet night, the dog lay under the kitchen table, warming Sam’s bare feet while she ate breakfast and Aiden washed the dishes from the night before.

“Do you want to hang out at my place while I straighten up?” he asked as he put the last plate on the rack to dry. “Afterward we can go for a walk if you’re up to it.”

“Actually, Brenda is coming by later.”

“Oh, girls’ day? That sounds good. I won’t rush back so you two can have some time to talk.”

Sam sighed and placed her cereal spoon carefully in her empty bowl. “About that.”

Aiden turned away from the sink, tossing a dish towel over his shoulder as he did. “About what?”

“Rushing back. Aiden…this week has been great, but I feel like I stole you from your life.”

He laughed, but the look in her eye told him there was more to this solemn conversation than her worrying about him having time to himself. “Not stole, just borrowed.”

“Exactly. And now it’s time to give you back. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You’ve been great, but I can’t ask you to stay here anymore.”

“You didn’t ask. In fact, I just sort of butted in.”

She put her hand up. “No, I’m not saying you did anything wrong. I just…well, look at you. You’re washing my dishes.”

“So? You’re not supposed to get your bandages wet.”

“I know…but we need…a break. You need to go home and relax for a while. You’ve been taking care of me for eight days. Barkley thinks you live here now, and we’re…”

He nodded. “I know. It’s like we’re dating or something.” His cool chuckle covered the hurt. She’d noticed the change in him, and now she was gracefully trying to free herself from the strings they’d both promised each other would never be attached to their relationship.

She studied the placemat. “Yeah. I don’t want to take advantage of that.”

“You’re not.”

“Not yet, but I’m getting too used to having someone do everything for me. I haven’t lifted a finger all week, and I need to get back to being self-sufficient.”

He wanted to ask why. What was so bad about having someone there to help you when you needed it? But he knew. She was gently pushing him out of the nest they’d made together this week. He crossed the room and knelt in front of her. “I understand. Don’t feel bad about it. You’re right. You’re getting better. You need your space back, and I need mine. Barkley and I need to go home, but if you want me here for anything, if you need help at all, just call me, okay? I’m here to help if you need it.”

She nodded and kissed his forehead. “Thank you, for everything. I’m sorry I took up so much of your time.”

“You didn’t.” He rose and slapped his thigh to get Barkley’s attention. The dog was on his feet in a heartbeat, tail wagging, ready for any adventure the day held.